Hoods
by skca54
Summary: For five years, we'd had only one thought, one goal: survive. Survive and one-day return home. The island held many dangers. To live we had to make ourselves more than what we were, to forge ourselves into a weapon. We had to become someone else. We had to become something else. A Kick-Ass Reboot.
1. Purgatory

**Author's Note:** _Welcome to the pilot chapter of_ **Hoods** _. . . this is a completely new story – I hope. Call it a Kick-Ass Reboot. Will the story work? Only time will tell. The story will be based on the Arrow universe but with Oliver Queen replaced by one Dave Lizewski and we introduce Mindy Macready. Other characters from the Kick-Ass universe and the Arrow universe will feature. For the moment, this will be a one-off, one-chapter story, unless of course, readers would like to see it continued._

 ** _Synopsis_**

 _2011_

 _Dave Lizewski, a fifteen-year-old boy, lives with his parents, James and Alice, and his younger sister, Thea, in Chicago, USA. James Lizewski is the billionaire CEO of Lizewski Enterprises. Mindy Macready, a thirteen-year-old girl, lives with her parents, Damon and Kathleen, in the same city. Damon Macready, an ex. CPD Lieutenant, now owns and operates a private security organisation called, Wildcat, with his former CPD partner and former CPD Sergeant, Marcus Williams._

 _At the beginning of July, 2011, Dave and his father are last seen flying from Tokyo to Hong Kong when their aircraft suddenly drops out of the sky. By a curious quirk of fate, in the same patch of sea, Damon Macready and his daughter, Mindy, are cast adrift when their yacht mysteriously sinks._

* * *

 ** _May 21_** ** _st_** ** _, 2016_**

The sun shone brightly and all was quiet.

That soon changed as a man burst out of the thick dense tropical greenery. He was running, although sprinting might have been a better word. Ahead of him was a large balete tree and then there was a rustling of leaves as the balete tree shook – the man had jumped and he was climbing the tree very quickly as if it was second nature to him.

Out of the top of the tree, there broke through the head of a man in a crudely made green and yellow hood. Just as crudely made was the man's clothing which covered his well-built frame. On his back was a quiver of arrows and in his left hand he held a compound bow.

There... On the horizon was a shape – something man made and coming closer across the seemingly endless expanse of black sea. The man almost dived out of the tree as he scrambled to the ground before he broke into another sprint and headed towards the coast.

By the time the runner had reached the coast and then taken a large rock in three enormous strides, the fishing trawler was now much closer and easily recognisable and more importantly, within easy visual range.

..._...

The compound bow was held out at the full length of his left arm, the left elbow slightly bent. His right hand drew an arrow from the quiver and struck the tip on a rock – the tip burst into flames. He nocked the arrow onto the bow string which was then pulled back to its maximum extent by a strong right arm.

The entire set of movements was quick, fluid and could have easily been missed it was so fast as the flaming arrow then coursed through the humid air and down towards the beach dozens of feet beneath him. Seconds later there was a huge explosion on the beach as a fireball erupted into the blue sky before the purposefully stacked wood caught and burned steadily.

Somebody must have seen the fire as the trawler slowly turned back towards the beach having already turned away from the island.

..._...

The man in the green and yellow hood turned away from the beach and he waved his hands in the direction of a large cliff, half a mile away. He was answered by the steady waving of another pair of arms which belonged to a young woman clad in dark purple clothing of a similar cut to the man's own green clothing. She herself wore a similar hood, it was dark purple with a pale mauve colour which trimmed the hood and other parts of her clothing.

* * *

 ** _One week later  
Saturday, May 28_** ** _th_**

 ** _Chicago, USA_**

"I've never seen anything like it..." The black man said, his tone incredulous.

"I've never _read_ anything like it, except maybe in 19th century literature," The female Doctor replied.

"The last thing that anyone would expect to find on a deserted island..."

"…is that it's _not_ deserted."

"The island they were found on was called 'Lian Yu' . . . it's Mandarin . . . for 'Purgatory'."

"I can't tell you _why_ they're alive... Because for five years . . . that island did its best to kill them both."

* * *

 ** _One week earlier  
Saturday, May 21_** ** _st_**

 ** _The Island_**

The man hugged the young woman as they stared at the rapidly receding hell that they had left only an hour previously.

The woman, while she appeared strong-willed, quickly broke down and hugged the man tightly. On closer inspection, you would have found tears flooding down the man's face too. Neither had spoken much since they had boarded the trawler but the young woman looked up at the man.

"We're safe, Dave; finally, we are safe."

The man looked down at the young woman and he smiled.

"Yes, Mindy, we are."

* * *

 ** _One Week Later  
Saturday, May 28_** ** _th_**

 ** _Chicago  
Northwestern Memorial Hospital_**

"Forty percent of _his_ body's covered in scar tissue, slightly less for _her_. Second degree burns on _his_ back and arms – the same for the girl. X-rays show at least twelve fractures, seven for her, that never properly healed..." the doctor explained.

"Oh, my God," the tall blonde woman said as she turned to the black man who stood beside her.

"I want you to prepare yourself, Kathleen. The Mindy that you lost, might not be the one that we have here, today."

"Has she said anything?"

"No, she's been very quiet."

..._...

Kathleen Macready tentatively set foot into the hospital room where her daughter stood over by a window and stared out at the city. Beside her, an IV stand held a clear bag of fluids which fed via tubes into Mindy's left forearm.

"Mindy...?"

The almost eighteen-year-old young woman who bore very little resemblance to the thirteen-year-old that she had last seen, turned and faced her mother. She smiled happily.

"Mom."

* * *

 ** _In the next room..._**

"Sweetheart!"

"Hi, Mom," Dave grinned as he hugged his mother for the first time in nearly five years.

"I'm so glad that you are alive…"

Dave really did not know what to say or do. Having not seen his mother for so long, he was out of practice when it came to that kind of love.

* * *

 ** _Two hours later_**

"Well, this is a turn up for the books, Kathleen."

"I never realised that my daughter had such a temper – that comes from her father."

"Whatever happened to them on that island – in those five years – those two are in love..."

"Alice, I have to agree."

..._...

There had been a major ruckus when the hospital had refused the request for the two young people to share a room – it was against hospital policy. Mindy had literally gone ballistic when it had been suggested that she might be separated from Dave.

Finally, they had both been moved to a room that they could share for the remaining few days that they would be in the hospital.

* * *

 ** _The TV..._**

A file photo of Dave Lizewski appeared on the screen with an anchor-man off to one side.

"David Lizewski is alive. The Chicago resident was found, by fishermen in the South China Sea, seven days ago and five years after he was missing and presumed dead following the air accident which claimed the family's Cessna Citation M2 jet... Lizewski is the son of Chicago billionaire, James Lizewski, who was also aboard but is now officially confirmed as deceased."

Dave idly flicked channels.

"...five years after disappearing in a flying accident, trust fund bad boy, David Lizewski, appears to be the only survivor of the ill-fated flight..."

The image cut to some file footage of one young Dave Lizewski, an insolent-looking boy of fourteen.

"Get that (BEEP)-ing camera outta my face before I shove it up your (BEEP)-ing ass, you little (BEEP)!"

"Ouch!" Mindy exclaimed from her bed and Dave blushed. "Would those missing words be _fuck_ -ing, _fuck_ -ing and _bitch_?"

* * *

 ** _Across Chicago_**

The twenty-year-old young man was paying no attention to the TV.

He was busy with his girl-friend – very busy...

"Marty...!"

"Oh, God..."

"...Lizewski's return has everyone talking. Where was he? And how did he survive all those years without his trust fund?"

Suddenly, Marty bolted up off the bed and stared at the TV.

"Fuck!" He exclaimed as his girlfriend fell onto the floor "Oh, sorry, Erika..."

"Dammit, Marty!"

"He's alive!" Marty exclaimed. "Dave's alive!"

* * *

 ** _A few days later  
Wednesday, June 1_** ** _st_**

I stared out of the limousine's window.

Mindy was doing the same on the far side. Both of us were getting our first glimpses of a city that we had not seen in five long years and not that long ago, never thought that we would ever see again.

"Marty is dying to see you – he's been calling ever since they reported your return on the news..." Mom explained.

"Marty?"

"He's my best friend..." I replied.

"Mindy doesn't know about Marty?" Mom exclaimed. "What _did_ you two do on that island for five whole years?"

I rolled my eyes – it was not the first probe about past events. For now, Mindy and I were saying nothing. It seemed that Mom just _had_ to keep talking – we were apparently not allowed to travel in blissful silence.

"Your sister is nervous of course. But don't you mistake that for anything; Thea was _so_ distraught for _so_ long." Mom went on. "She never gave up hope, though – none of us did..."

Mom trailed off as Mindy sat staring at a pair of ice cubes that she held in her hands – she seemed fascinated by them as they slowly melted and the ice cold water ran over her skin and dripped from her hands.

"Dave..." Mom began and she sounded unnerved.

"First ice cubes that she's seen in five years – me too for that matter."

Mindy passed me a partly melted ice cube and I smiled back at her. She had not said a word since we had left the hospital. She had gone very shy and she had refused to tolerate anybody's company but my own. That was why she was in the limousine with me and not heading home with her own mother.

Mom broke the moment.

"The staff is excited as well..."

I was very pleased when I noticed that we were almost home.

* * *

 ** _Lizewski Manor  
Barrington Hills_**

The fifteen-year-old girl watched as the black limousine pulled up outside the house.

She turned away from the second-floor-window for a moment; she was nervous. But, she forced herself back to the window. She was worried to the core – she loved her big brother with all her heart and she had prayed for his safe return for so long. Then suddenly, out of the blue, he was back...

The two girls behind her were still jabbering away.

"I read on the internet that he had frostbite – you think his toes fell off?" Shelley asked her friend.

"Don't be stupid, Shelley..." the other girl, Trish, replied.

Thea Lizewski turned to her two best friends.

"You guys've gotta leave before he comes in..."

"Not 'til you calm down, girl. What do we have?" Trish cut in.

Shelley dived a hand into her knapsack and pulled out a pair of plastic containers.

"I got my brother's Ritalin and my Mom's Valium..."

"Screw that – I got some Roxy's, courtesy of my Daddy's ACL tear," Trish countered.

Trish popped out a pill and crushed it to a powder on Thea's desk. She then proceeded to snort a portion before she turned to Thea.

"Your turn, girl..."

Thea took the proffered rolled up bill that Trish had used to snort down the powder. Thea leaned down over her desk in a practiced and proficient manner.

* * *

As the driver opened the rear door of the limousine, I felt strange – a sense of foreboding?

Mom headed straight up the steps towards the front door. I turned and helped Mindy out of the car. I was about to follow my mother when the driver popped the trunk and before he could reach inside, I pushed him away.

"We've got it..." I said quickly as I seized hold of one end of an old army munitions trunk, marked with Chinese letters – Mindy grabbed the other end.

I had not seen the house for what seemed like a lifetime and it felt strangely unfamiliar.

* * *

I followed Dave inside the giant house.

There really wasn't a choice; I was holding the other end of the trunk. To me, Dave seemed to have just set foot on Mars – he did not behave like the house was his home. He walked past his mother and stopped before an elderly couple.

"Welcome home, Mr. Dave," the woman offered with a very friendly smile. I took an instant liking to that woman. She was about sixty and plump in a good way.

"Welcome back, sir," the man added – he again, I liked. He was maybe mid-sixties and thin, but he had a very friendly face. "Can I help you with that?"

He indicated the trunk, but Dave shook his head.

"No, thank you, Ivan. Mindy, please meet Ivan and Raisa – they look after the house and have put up with me since I was born. Ivan, Raisa, please meet Mindy Macready."

"Wonderful to meet you, Miss. Mindy," Raisa said and she beamed an enormous smile at me – I blushed.

"Welcome, Ma'am," Ivan added with his own enormous smile.

Alice, Dave's mother, cut in impatiently.

"Your room is exactly as you left it. I never had the heart to..."

I turned, curious as to why Alice had stopped speaking. Dave dropped his end of the trunk as he saw the young girl who stood at the base of the sweeping staircase. The girl was beaming fit to burst – she had to be Dave's younger sister, Thea.

"I _knew_ you were alive – I just knew it!" She exclaimed with joy.

She raced over to Dave and clutched him tightly and very exuberantly. I saw her eyes – wild? I noticed that Dave melted into the hug. He had talked about his little sister, often, although the last time he had seen her, she had been barely ten-years-old – now she was almost a woman.

I could hear faint whisperings between them.

* * *

"I missed you. Every day, I missed you."

"You were with me, Thea. The whole time."

I felt her tears as I kissed her.

"Your brother is home and home for good..."

After a few minutes, Thea calmed down and she glanced past me with a curious expression on her face.

" _Who_ is _that_?"

The tone of the question was _not_ exactly friendly.

* * *

 ** _That evening_**

I stepped out of the hot shower and I felt remarkably refreshed.

After I had towelled myself dry, I stood before the full-length mirror in the bathroom and examined my naked body. It was still as well toned as it had always been but what had once been soft, virgin, skin was now covered liberally with scars. There was a brand on one arm, numbers tattooed on the other. I had several healed bullet wounds and I had a jagged scar across the front of my left thigh.

Over time, I had become used to the scars – they were like a roadmap and I could remember exactly when and where I had acquired each and every one. For a moment flashes of my past came on, unbidden, into my mind: flashes of . . . torture . . . blood . . . pain . . . fear.

..._...

"Hey, honey..."

Dave was there, as he always was. He hugged me tightly. The trauma would pass – or so the doctor had said; I was not so sure... The feeling of Dave's bare, but hairy chest, against my bare breasts was reassuring. Although I was naked, Dave wore a pair of joggers. His body was strewn with scars, just as mine was. He had tattoos just as I did and a vicious scar across his chest.

We had both grown up on that island. I was no longer the giggly young teen – and he was no longer the wimpy, care-free teen whom I had first met on that island, almost a lifetime ago.

* * *

 ** _The Dining Room_**

Mom had outdone herself – she was good at that.

Mindy had the look that mirrored how I felt. The food looked awesome and there was something of everything spread across the giant table. Only, neither of us were used to eating anything large – I actually felt nauseated. I knew that if I ate more than a few mouthfuls then I would promptly throw up – my stomach could not handle such rich and presumably tasty food.

Raisa, ever the mind-reader, came to our rescue.

"Would you care for something else, my dears?"

I looked over at Mindy and she nodded.

"Some fruit, maybe?" She enquired quietly.

"The same for me, please, Raisa."

"I will see what I can find, sir, ma'am."

As Raisa left the room, Thea punctuated the silence with a question that I assumed everybody had been avoiding. You could always trust Thea to speak her mind at the most inopportune time!

"What was it like there?"

The question was directed at me – Thea had made a point of pretending that Mindy did not exist; I obviously had some work to do there... I noticed that everybody else was looking directly at me, too, forks poised before their mouths.

"Cold," I stated simply and I noticed Thea's crestfallen expression and some equally disappointed expressions around the table.

..._...

Raisa returned with the fruit. On her way, she stumbled and several items flew through the air, each of which Dave caught without any extraneous movement.

Everybody stared at his unusual display of dexterity.

"I am _so_ sorry..." Raisa began.

"Не волнуйтесь, Раиса."

Mom and Thea looked shocked.

"I don't recall you learning Russian at school..." Mom muttered.

I just shrugged.

"Online course..."

..._...

"What are your plans for tomorrow, dear?"

"I want to check out the office and then we have lunch planned with Mindy's family," I replied.

"The office?" Mom echoed. "You've not set foot in the place since you were about six!"

"Just a thought..."

"Oh – the lawyers will be over, tomorrow evening – for both of you; they will do what is required to get your lives back."

* * *

 ** _That night_**

"I can't sleep here – those hospital beds were bad enough; this bed is torture..."

I had to agree – neither one of us had slept inside, much less felt such a soft bed beneath our bodies in a long, long time. I looked over at Dave.

"How about we go sleep under the stars..." I suggested as I indicated the window and the increasingly stormy weather outside.

Dave smiled and he threw back the duvet.

..._...

We were both very wet by the time we had crossed the manicured lawns and entered the trees.

The moss beneath the trees felt like home and I blissfully lay down on the ground. Dave wrapped himself around me and we slept like we had a thousand times before.

Then the nightmares came...

* * *

 ** _July 2_** ** _nd_** ** _, 2011_**

 ** _The Wildcat_**

". . . three . . . four..."

Another thunder clap announced itself outside the yacht's hull.

"The storm is getting closer..." I announced.

"That's not very scientific, Mindy," Daddy chuckled.

"It works..." I grumbled.

"Yes, it does."

There was another thunder clap – much louder than before.

" _That_ one was _really_ close!" I exclaimed and I felt scared.

"Relax, child. We're okay..." Daddy replied as he wrapped his reassuring arm around me.

..._...

We were _not_ okay!

The cabin flipped onto its beam-ends and I landed on what used to be the port bulkhead. I saw my Daddy on his back a few feet away, his head all bloody.

"Daddy..."

I was cut off as a wall of raging water rushed towards me...

* * *

 ** _The Present  
June 2_** ** _nd_** ** _, 2016  
Thursday morning_**

It was Mindy's turn to be nervous.

I had barely spoken with Mindy's mother and the black man, who seemed to be very chummy with Mindy's Mom, since our return. I was not sure if Mindy had noticed – I knew from our chats on the island that she was a Daddy's girl and now that he was dead, she had lost that special link. She loved her mother, only it seemed that there was not such a special relationship there.

As we pulled up at the house, in River Forest, to the east of Chicago, Mindy pushed her hand into mine and she gripped my hand tightly.

I looked into her face – I saw apprehension and a lot of it.

* * *

 ** _Macready Family Home  
River Forest_**

"Mindy!"

Mindy's mother wrapped her daughter in a hug. It took Mindy a minute but she soon reciprocated and I saw the tears falling. I stood off to one side, out of the way, until the large black guy strolled over.

"Hello, David – my name is Marcus..."

"Dave – not David; only my Dad called me that."

"Okay, Dave," Marcus replied and then he leaned in closer and spoke quietly. "I've known the Macready family since before Mindy was born. I see Mindy as a daughter, so you had better watch your step, young man."

"Marcus, please leave Dave alone..." Mindy said sharply – her ears were very sharp – and Marcus stood up straight.

* * *

I noticed that both Kathleen and Marcus were uneasy, although both made attempts at hiding their unease.

The explanation for their uneasiness soon appeared.

"Mommy!"

A young boy, maybe four-years-old, came running out of another room.

"Damon!" Kathleen said sharply. "I told you to wait in the Living Room."

Mindy's mouth dropped open and then after a moment she scowled.

"Damon?"

The boy walked over to Mindy and looked up at her.

"Min'y?" The boy asked.

"Mindy, honey," Kathleen began. "Meet your brother..."

* * *

I glared over at Marcus.

"You've been fucking my Mom?"

I saw Dave cover his face with both hands – had I missed something?

"Mindy!" Mom exclaimed and I heard the dangerous part of her tone. "He is your father's. I had intended to tell him _and_ you when you both returned from your trip – I was five months pregnant when you left..."

I felt like a _total_ idiot.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Mom... You too, Marcus."

"Mindy, I forgive you, and so does Marcus. We both love you and we are just _so_ pleased to have you back – we were both devastated over what happened. We also know that you will tell us what happened to you on that island in your own time. The only question that I _will_ demand an answer for is this: Where the hell did you find such a handsome young man on a deserted island in the middle of an ocean?"

I blanched at my Mom's question and I felt my face getting _very_ hot.

* * *

Lunch was actually fun.

Mindy had calmed down a lot and she was no longer apprehensive. She was laughing with Marcus and her newly-discovered little brother. She seemed to be a very different girl all of a sudden – we had not had all that many opportunities to laugh on that island – it was called Lian Yu for a reason... It appeared that young Damon had been brought up to know his big sister, even though she had been thought of as dead and I could see Mindy in him.

As promised, there were no questions about what had occurred over the previous five years. Marcus, instead, proceeded to embarrass Mindy with some stories from her past before the island.

As for her response to her mother's question: "Just luck, I guess... He fell from the sky and he kept me alive."

* * *

 ** _That evening_**

 ** _Barrington Hills_**

"It is time for you both to get your lives back," the lawyer intoned. "A simple witnessed affidavit will suffice, to be then confirmed by a Judge."

"We don't need to go to the court?" I enquired.

"Have you been to court before, Mr Lizewski?"

"Just a few times..." Thea cut in. "There was the taxi he stole... The time he peed on that cop... Being caught inebriated..."

" _Thank you_ , Thea!" I cut in with almost a growl.

Within another half hour, the forms to 'undead' us, were filled in and the lawyer headed off to find a Judge.

* * *

It had been a busy day and we had spent longer with Mindy's family than we had expected, so we never did get to Lizewski Enterprises.

"Thank you, Dave."

"For what?"

"Just for being there with me, today – even when I did make a damn fool of myself!"

I laughed.

"I'm used to your 'crap', Mindy; you know that."

Mindy snuggled into me as we lay together on the floor beside the bed.

"You _peed_ on a cop?"

"Not the best decision of my life..."

Mindy giggled.

* * *

 ** _The following morning  
Friday, June 3rd_**

I awoke with a start, momentarily unsure of my surroundings.

I smiled as I saw the reassuring blue eyes of Dave which stared down at me. Those eyes had helped me keep it together for so long.

"Happy Birthday, my sweet..."

The kiss that followed made me feel like the woman that I was; I let out several moans but nothing more until Dave finally pulled his lips away from my own.

"Thank you..." I offered breathlessly.

I was eighteen and about to visit Chicago for the first time in five long years.

* * *

After breakfast, we received a visitor.

"Dave!"

"Marty!"

We hugged. I'd known Marty since about second grade.

"Mindy, this is Marty – he's been my friend for like forever."

"Marty."

"Mindy! Dave – you dog; you get dumped on a deserted island and find a gorgeous chick like Mindy?"

Mindy went slightly pink before I rescued her.

"Let's go, Marty!"

"Don't let him get you into _too_ much trouble; you've only just got back!" Thea called as the three of us headed out the door.

"Have you noticed how hot your sister has gotten – 'cause I have not..." Marty commented and then quickly changed tack as I glared at him.

Mindy just laughed.

* * *

 ** _On the way into Chicago_**

"I am counting on a target-rich environment for your welcome home bash..."

"What?" I demanded as Marty continued on.

"You came back from the dead – this calls for a party; you tell me where and when and I'll take care of everything – oh, sorry, Mindy; forgot you were there..."

I just sat back as Mindy rolled her eyes in the back seat.

..._...

"This city's gone to crap..." Marty said as he pulled up at the kerb. "Your Dad sold his factory just in time... Why'd you want to drive to this neighbourhood anyway?"

I gazed up at a fair-sized, high-ceilinged building on West Lake Street. Mindy followed my gaze, but said nothing.

"No reason..."

"So, what did you miss the most?"

"Erika..."

Marty looked a little bit stunned.

"Everyone is happy that you're alive . . . and you want to go see the one person who _isn't_?"

* * *

 ** _City Necessary Resources Initiative (CNRI) Office_**

"Hello, Erika..." I said.

The short girl with short black-hair turned and she froze for a moment. We left the office and talked for a few minutes as we walked down the street.

"You went to law school – you said you would."

Erika stopped and she turned to me.

"Everybody's proud . . . Why are you here, Dave?"

"To apologise – it's my fault. I want to ask you not to blame her."

"For what? For falling under your spell? How could I possibly blame her for doing the same things I did?"

"Erika, I..."

" _She was my sister!_ I couldn't be angry at her because she was dead, And I couldn't grieve because I was so angry at her. That's what happens when your sister cheats on you with your boyfriend... We buried an empty coffin; because her body is at the bottom of the ocean – where you left her."

I felt like shit – worse in fact. "I know it's too late to say it . . . but I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too. I had hoped that you would rot in hell for a whole lot longer than five years!"

Talk about a dagger in the heart. Erika stormed off to where Marty and Mindy waited.

"How did you _think_ this was going to go, Marty?" She demanded.

"About like that," Marty conceded.

"Watch out for him, honey, he'll fuck you up and spit you out..." Erika threw at Mindy as she headed back into her office.

* * *

Wow! Dave led a complicated life, I thought as we walked back to the car.

I think I've learned more about him in the past couple of days than in the almost eighteen-hundred that we spent together on that island. I could tell that he was hurting and maybe that was why I wasn't paying too much attention to our surroundings at that very moment.

"Okay, so we got that out of the way. Good call. Now we're ready to make up for lost time. If you're not too sick of fish..." Marty began.

I heard a screech of tyres and I turned along with Dave to see a van careering towards us. What came next was like a well-oiled military exercise. Two masked men appeared from an alley and both raised silver-coloured pistols. There was no time to shout a warning as first Dave, then Marty and finally I succumbed to a dart in the neck.

As I fell to my knees, I saw a door open above us and a man appeared – he shouted at the men accosting us; the bastards – a third masked gunman – shot him for his trouble, with an Israeli assault rifle. The last thing I saw before darkness enveloped me was a young boy who had appeared beside his dead father and he screamed out a single word.

"Dad!"

* * *

 ** _July 4_** ** _th_** ** _, 2011_**

 ** _November-Eight-Two-Five_**

Everything was going badly wrong.

We should have been landing in Hong Kong but instead, we were fighting through a thunder-head and the aircraft was coming apart. The Cessna jet was rising and plunging dozens of feet at a time and I was feeling queasy, to put it mildly.

Dad was struggling with the controls as the jet dropped and turned like a rollercoaster. I was in the cockpit to assist Dad – I had some experience with the jet but only in a total flat calm. I heard a scream from behind me and I knew that Katie would be beside herself with fear. I wished that I could be back there with her, but my place was helping Dad to keep us in the air long enough for us to reach land – any land.

Then, it happened. Both tail-mounted jet engines stopped and a deathly relative silence descended on the aircraft. I flipped through the manual in my hands – I searched for the Engine Restart Check List, but then the aircraft dropped like a stone and I heard a muffled grunt as Dad's head hit the side wall of the cockpit.

He never made another sound.

* * *

 ** _The Present  
Friday, June 3_** ** _rd_** ** _, 2016_**

I began to see light and I opened my eyes.

A hood had been ripped off my head. I struggled to get my bearings as the drug, with which I had been injected, wore off. I felt plastic on my wrists; they were zip-tied. I saw Marty, a few feet away – he appeared unconscious. Mindy was beside him and I noticed that she was moving, almost imperceptibly.

"Mr. Lizewski?" Came a yell.

I looked up. There were three of them, all wearing creepy Halloween skull-like masks. It looked like it was the leader who was interrogating me – his lackeys were on either side of him, a few steps behind.

"I ask the questions – you give me the answers..."

A small Taser was held before my eyes.

"Did your father survive the accident?"

I said nothing and focussed on the zip-ties which bound my wrists. Then the Taser was jammed into my chest; I used the extra force it gave me to break the zip-ties which bound my wrists. I screamed with the pain – more for effect than anything else. Out of the corner of my eye, Mindy was moving; both her wrists were free.

"Did he make it to the island? Did he tell you anything?"

I received another jolt of the Taser. I took a moment or two to regain my composure – it did hurt!

"Yes, he did..."

The dick in the mask seemed pleased with my 'confession' and he never noticed my demeanour change.

"What did he tell you, Mr. Lizewski."

"He told me that I'm going to kill you..."

There was a moment of confusion, but then the gunmen laughed. I glared at the man on the right.

"Galil 5.56-millimetre. The man carrying the biggest gun is always the coward. You, I'll have to hunt; you die last..." I turned to the other gunman, over to the left. "You think you're faster than me. You're wrong. You'll get a shot off, but you'll die second."

The laughter changed to anxious chuckles as I then glared at the leader.

"And _you_ – you, I'm going to kill first..."

"You're delusional; you're zip-tied to that chair..."

I waved my hands theatrically in the air.

"Not anymore... And neither is she..."

There was a mad scramble as I leapt up and seized the wooden chair that I had been seated on. I took the chair across the leader's front, which shoved his Taser away and out of reach. The man with the Galil attempted to shoot me, but the chair absorbed the bullets.

I seized up a pair of chair legs and threw them into the air. Mindy grabbed them both and she attacked the gunman closest to her using the legs like truncheons – Eskrima style. The leader went for his pistol, I simply grabbed up another chair leg and rammed the splintered end into the man's throat. As promised, he was the first to die.

The other gunman died second, again, as promised. Mindy drove one of her improvised Eskrima sticks into his right eye. She grinned as she did so. I looked around – the third man had run...

"Go!" she directed and I ran after the man.

* * *

I ran as fast as I could go.

The gunman had a head start, but I knew that I could run down prey better than anybody – except maybe for Mindy... I rounded a corner and found some stairs which led downwards. As I ran down them I grabbed the door frame at the bottom and lifted my body up horizontally. The gunman had emptied his entire magazine in my direction.

I jumped down while he swapped out his magazine and I ran after him. Wood flew from numerous packing crates as the gunman randomly sent bursts of bullets in my direction. I jumped upwards and used the walls, crates, anything to gain ground and keep out of the way of any bullets.

The gunman paused for a moment and I could see that he was frightened as he tried to seek me out.

..._...

He fired into some packing crates – presumably to scare me out – I was nowhere near that crate.

 _Click!_

Empty magazine . . . oops...

I ran at the gunman and he saw me. The gunman fumbled for another magazine as I moved behind him. I punched the base of his spine – he collapsed in a heap, unable to move his arms or legs. I stared down at him. His eyes were a mix of emotions: he was pleading, he was terrified, he was desperate.

"May I?"

It was Mindy. I waved her in.

"You shot that boy's father..."

"It was an accident – I didn't mean to – you don't have to do this..."

"Yes, I do..." Mindy growled. "You see... No one can know our secret."

With a twist and a sickening crunch – Mindy snapped his neck.

"Damn, I think I broke a nail..." she growled unhappily.

* * *

 ** _Barrington Hills_**

" _That's_ your story?"

We sat in the living room and faced the angry looking CPD Detective. Another Detective stood behind my mother.

"You were abducted, brought to that warehouse, where you were interrogated, threatened, when suddenly, out of the blue, two 'guys', one wearing a green and yellow hood, the other purple, flew in and took them all out?"

"Yes, sir," I replied.

"You?"

"That's it, sir," Mindy replied.

"Your luck never seems to run out, does it?" The exasperated Detective complained.

"Were you able to identity the men?" Mom enquired of the Detective.

"Scrubbed identities. Untraceable weapons. These were pros who probably figured you'd pay a King's ransom to get your boy back. A parent would do anything to keep their child safe..."

"I don't find your tone appropriate, Detective. Or, for that matter, your involvement in this case given the . . . personal circumstances."

"Take it up with the Chief-of-D's, then. In the meantime, case lands on my desk; I work it."

"If Oliver, or Mindy, thinks of anything else, he'll get in touch. Thank you, gentlemen, for coming."

"Welcome home," Detective Lance stated without much feeling.

* * *

 ** _Dave's bedroom_**

"Adam Hunt?" Mindy enquired as she read the page on the computer screen.

"Yeah – he's a target for Erika..."

"Is he in the book?"

I opened a small Moleskin notebook. I ran my fingers down the page, flipped to the next, and then stopped.

"There: Adam Hunt..."

"Let's go find a place to work," Mindy suggested.

..._...

We had only made it to the bottom of the stairs, when Mom appeared, along with a large black man.

"Dave – please meet John Diggle. He'll be . . . accompanying _you_."

"I don't need a babysitter, and neither does Mindy."

"This is something both I, and Kathleen, need. However, Mindy will have her own, err – minder..."

"Hi, Mindy, I'm Sarah Clarke – Marcus asked me personally to protect you."

I gave up arguing and I smiled at the new guy who nodded in return and he opened the front door. Mindy went first with Sarah and we followed.

* * *

Mindy and I sat in the back of the Bentley while our 'personal protection' were in the front seats, with Diggle driving.

"So, what do we call you two?" Dave asked.

"Diggle's good. Dig, if you want."

"Sarah will be fine."

"You're both ex-military?" I chimed in.

"I am, ma'am. Army Rangers, 105th Airborne out of Kandahar, retired. Been in the private sector a little over four years now."

"Ex. Diplomatic Protection Group, ma'am," Sarah added in her British accent as Diggle continued.

"Now, I don't want there to be any confusion, Mr. Lizewski, Miss Macready. Our ability to keep you both from harm will outweigh your comfort or your desires. Do we have an agreement?"

We never heard anything else as we both pushed open the rear doors and dove from the moving vehicle. From behind two parked cars, we observed the Bentley as it jerked to a halt in the middle of the street and both security officers jumped out.

They looked around but by then, we had moved on.

* * *

 ** _West Lake Street_**

The site was derelict and had been for several years.

After a brief look around, we threw over the previously stashed bags from the day before and we vaulted the fence. Mindy was all smiles as we approached the main building.

"We could do a lot with this place," she said casually.

"And we will, my sweet."

..._...

"Oh, wow!"

Mindy was transfixed by the place and to be honest, so was I. The main floor was open apart from four giant concrete pillars which supported the upper floor. The space was double the usual height – about nineteen feet. There were two more floors above with more conventional ceiling heights of eleven feet. Behind the main space was a large warehouse that extended back many feet.

We took the large freight elevator downwards, into the basement.

"Oh, Dave, it's awesome!"

To be honest, the basement felt homely – no windows and the bare concrete walls and support pillars just seemed so basic. As on the floor above, the height was almost twenty feet and I already had plans... I gazed over at the rather large pile of scrap steel in the corner of the enormous basement.

"You ready to get your hands dirty?"

* * *

As we tidied the place, I got to thinking.

The abduction had been unexpected and it had forced us to move up our plans. I had told the Police the truth; the hooded vigilantes _had_ been in that warehouse, and they were just beginning...

* * *

 _My name is Mindy Macready._

 _For five years, my partner and I were stranded on an island with only one goal: survive. Now, we will fulfil my father's dying wish – to use the list of names that he left me and bring down those who are poisoning our city._

 _To do this, we must become someone else._

 _We must become_ something _else._

* * *

 _I'd been stranded there for five years_

 _I'd dreamt of my rescue every cold black night since then. For five years, I'd had only one thought, one goal: survive. Survive and one-day return home. The island held many dangers. To live I had to make myself more than what I was, to forge myself into a weapon. I am returning, not the boy who fell out of the sky but the man who will bring justice to those who have poisoned my city._

 _My name is Dave Lizewski._


	2. Hoods Into Action

**_Friday, June 3rd, 2016_**

 ** _Chicago, USA_**

 ** _West Lake Street_**

Our 'cave' was taking shape.

It had taken two days and it had also necessitated the ditching of our 'protection'. We had obtained equipment from sources all over the city and never from the same place twice. The work was hard and very sweat inducing.

Did I enjoy watching Dave sweat profusely as he swung sledges and battled with massive drills? I did – I was a bad girl; sorry Daddy... I did not just spend my time watching his rippling muscles, I also did _my_ fair share. Back in the day, I had been a workshy teen who would do almost anything to get out of doing even a simple task.

All that had changed on that damn island.

* * *

The results of our labours were crude but functional – just what we were used to.

We had computers, we had power and we had light. The floor was clean and freshly painted in a dark grey matt – painting that had sucked big time and my back ached! After the floor, my job had been to clean out the bathroom in the basement – I felt myself baulking at what was festering in that room. However, after several gallons of bleach and a hell of a lot of scrubbing, I had produced a clean pair of toilets, two sinks, and a crappy shower.

At least I had been able to wash off the grime and the smell – we discovered that the shower was _just_ large enough for two... Only just, so Dave had promised to buy a new one – much bigger and with much more power.

..._...

After my shower, I went to investigate what Dave had been up to – he had been hammering and sawing and welding and I was curious – so sue me!

I was flabbergasted by what I saw... "A salmon ladder!" I exclaimed.

It was massive and went the full height of the basement. I couldn't wait to try it out – but there was no time to do much more than to sharpen a few arrows and ensure that we could still shoot.

..._...

Dave produced a large container of tennis balls.

"You ready?"

"Are you kidding?" I retorted as I raised the compound bow in my left hand.

My quiver was securely fitted around my body. Dave was equipped in the same way. He flicked the switch on a machine and poured in the tennis balls. With a succession of thuds, a dozen tennis balls began to bounce around the basement.

I drew an arrow, nocked and released in a fluid movement before repeating the exercise another five times. As I lowered my bow after the sixth arrow was released, there was no longer the sound of bouncing tennis balls in the space. I looked over at Dave.

"Not bad for two damaged kids..." I commented as I mentally counted the twelve arrows that were embedded in the concrete wall of the basement.

Each arrow had impaled a tennis ball en route.

* * *

It was time.

Adam Hunt's crimes were much deeper than just simple fraud or theft.

He was a bully who bribed his way out of any confrontation – even killing was not beyond him. But, he had not met us yet…

"Let's go, Hit Girl..." I growled as I threw over her purple hood.

"Right with yer, Kick-Ass..." She replied as I donned my own yellow and green hood.

It was dark outside as we left the basement astride the dark green Ducati Monster motorcycle. Hit Girl was behind me, her arms tight around my waist.

* * *

 ** _An hour later_**

 ** _Central Chicago_**

Adam Hunt was not a happy man, but he had his own ways of resolving things.

"Mr Hunt, I'm sorry, but my people are determined on this..." Eric Grant, Erika's boss at CNRI, insisted.

"I don't care about your 'people'. You don't call off the dogs, I'm coming after you, Mr Grant. After your house, after your law license, your kids' college funds... I will shred your life and I'll do it because I can. I'll turn you into a cautionary tale."

Eric Grant's resolve collapsed completely.

"What're still doing here?" Hunt growled.

As a pair of size-large bodyguards appeared at the door, Eric Grant gratefully took his leave and rushed for the stairs.

..._...

With a sneer, Hunt headed for the elevator, the two bodyguards in tow.

One bodyguard pressed the button beside the elevator. Ding! The elevator arrived seconds later and the three men entered it. Hunt stabbed the 'Lobby' button, somewhat impatiently, and the elevator doors closed; the elevator began to descend.

 _4_

 _3_

 _2_

 _L_

 _P1_

"What the fuck – piece'a crap; we should have stopped at the lobby..." Hunt growled.

 _P2_

 _P3_

 _P4_

The elevator came to a halt and the elevator doors opened. The two bodyguards peered out tentatively – they both sensed a trap. The underground parking lot was very quiet and nothing moved. Hunt also sensed danger, he stabbed very button on the elevator's panel – nothing worked.

"Check it out," Hunt ordered.

As the two men left the elevator, the light mounted above them exploded and all the other lights in the parking lot went out as something clattered to the concrete floor. A few emergency lights snapped on to produce an eerie glow. One of the guards bent down and picked up the object that had shattered the light.

His expression spoke volumes – what the fuck? It was an arrow.

The guard instinctively reached for his pistol.

..._...

There was a thud as an arrow pinned his hand to his chest. The man yelled out in pain and sank to his knees. His partner fired wildly into the shadows, where his bullets ricocheted around the parking lot and several car windows were heard to shatter.

Finally, the gun clicked on empty, the slide locked back.

"You missed..." came a voice from the darkness. The voice was unnatural, inhuman.

The terrified bodyguard ran back towards the elevator, desperately trying to reload his pistol. He never made it... A rapid pair of thuds and an arrow appeared in each of his thighs – one arrow had dark green and yellow feathers, the other dark purple feathers. The man collapsed onto the concrete next to the other bodyguard where both writhed in pain.

Hunt peered out of the elevator and he immediately wished he had not as two hooded individuals moved towards him out of the gloom.

* * *

Hit Girl kept her bow raised, an arrow ready to be released in an instant.

"What do you want?" Hunt bleated. "I've got money – I've got loads of money...!"

"I know," I growled. "And I know how you got it. _You have failed this city!_ "

I dropped a card beside the man who had wilted inside the elevator.

"Forty million dollars. To this account. By 10 PM, tomorrow night."

"Or what?"

"Or we'll take it – and you won't like how..."

I signalled Hit Girl and we both turned to leave. But, as expected...

"If I see you again, you're dead!" Hunt yelled out.

Hit Girl span around, her bow raised and an arrow coursed through the air – it whizzed past Hunt's head before it embedded itself into the elevator wall. Hunt reached up and felt the thin cut on his cheek; his hand came away bloody.

"Same!" Hit Girl growled.

* * *

 ** _That night_**

 ** _Barrington Hills_**

We had a reception committee awaiting our return.

In the living room sat my mother, Mindy's mother, Marcus Williams, John Diggle, and Sarah Clarke. Nobody smiled... My mother stood up.

"Mr Diggle informs me that for the past two days, you've been consistently sneaking away from him. From the security I hired to keep you safe. I think I deserve an explanation."

"Me too, Mindy," Kathleen demanded and Marcus looked pissed.

"I'm sorry," I tried.

"I said an explanation, not an apology..." Mom was _not_ happy.

Mindy chimed in.

"We were alone for five years. It's been difficult being around other people..."

"Okay – just let us know in future..." Mom replied gently and I saw Kathleen smile.

"We promise to take them around with us," Mindy said with a sly grin in my direction.

* * *

 ** _The following morning  
Saturday, June 4th _**

"The simple things," Mindy mused as she opened the fridge. "All that food, just a fingertip away..."

"Yeah, no climbing trees or killing things, just to eat," I replied.

"The police came to talk to me about the kidnapping," Marty said as he entered the kitchen and helped himself to a banana.

"What did you tell them?" Mindy asked as casually as she could with a cautionary glance in my direction.

"That I was unconscious. And you two? You both okay? You've been back, Dave, but you haven't been . . . yourself. Want to tell me what's really going on?"

"You're right," I replied. "About having a party. For anyone who forgot me, a party they'll never forget..."

Marty's demeanour instantly changed and he grinned. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and left him in the kitchen with Mindy. I headed out into the foyer by the front door where I looked up at a large portrait of my father.

* * *

 ** _July 4th, 2011_**

 ** _November-Eight-Two-Five_**

We were out of control.

Amid the alarms in the cockpit came the spine chilling audio alerts in seemingly rapid succession.

"Sinkrate! Sinkrate!"

"Overspeed! Overspeed!"

"Terrain! Terrain!"

There was a short pause and then a loud whooping sound in the cockpit, followed by the worst:

"Pull up! Pull up!"

The same words flashed up in red on the screens before me, just in case I couldn't hear them.

I had no time to do anything before I saw greenery through the cockpit windshield and then…

..._...

When I regained consciousness, I was still in the aircraft, but we were on the ground.

I could see nothing out of the smashed windshield. I looked to my left and saw my father, he was awake but in obvious pain. I looked behind me – the rear of the aircraft was gone . . . and so was Katie. I turned back as my Dad spoke.

"I started with nothing, David. But the more I earned, the more I paid. I paid with my soul. Lizewski Enterprises' success was built on the pain and suffering of many. Pain and suffering which _I_ caused . . . I failed our city."

"Dad, don't say that. You're . . . you're a good man."

"You don't know me. Not really. You don't know the truth."

* * *

 ** _The Present  
Saturday, June 4th, 2016_**

 ** _Central Chicago_**

Adam Hunt was not a happy man – not least because of the fresh stitches on his cheek. He glared at the Detective before him.

"They were wearing hoods. A green and yellow hood, plus a purple one. They both had a goddamn bow and arrow."

The Detective exchanged a glance with his subordinate, Hilton. Hunt noticed the glance.

"You don't believe me? I got two bodyguards in the hospital. You think I did this to myself?"

Hunt indicated his cheek and then strode to a table – he seized an object and tossed it to Detective Lance. It was an arrow with green and yellow feathers. Detective Lance looked at the arrow and smirked.

"Thanks for your statement. We'll put out an APB on Robin Hood."

"Hey, pal, I'm not some grocer who got taken for his register. I have your commissioner on speed dial; I go to the front of the line."

"Looks like Lizewski was telling the truth," Hilton admitted.

"First time for everything," Lance growled. "Get five or six sector cars here. A SWAT unit, too. Have them establish a perimeter. These hooded guys come here looking for trouble, they finds it..."

Hunt just glared at the two Detectives as they left.

* * *

 ** _That evening_**

 ** _Barrington Hills_**

"You clean up very nicely, Mr Lizewski."

"So do you, Miss Macready..."

Mindy looked gorgeous. She was wearing a pair of tight-fitting black jeans and a purple blouse. On her feet were flat-soled shoes in black and she finished it all off with a black leather jacket. I noticed that she was itching.

"Still not used to it?"

"I've not worn a proper bra before and this one, while expensive – well, it fucking itches!"

"I'm glad I don't wear them – still not used to wearing a jacket..."

We both headed downstairs and outside to where I was very surprised to see Sarah at the wheel of the Bentley. I opened the rear door and grinned...

"Put on your seatbelt, sir..."

Diggle was _not_ taking any chances!

"You too, young miss," Sarah added sternly as a grinning Mindy climbed into the front passenger seat.

* * *

 ** _Central Chicago_**

 ** _The Iron Works Club_**

We pulled up outside the club and I idly glanced up at the building across the road.

I alighted and helped Mindy out. While I was used to the paparazzi and the flashing of cameras, Mindy had been kept out of the limelight by her shrewd father. Yes, his loss and her loss had been big news, but they had only been multi-millionaires, not multi-billionaires, therefore, they had gained less press coverage. I held her hand tightly as we made our way past the incessant flashing and she did not relax until we were safely inside the club.

"Thank God for that!" Mindy growled. "I don't know how you handle it, Dave..."

"Sometimes, neither do I," I admitted as I checked my phone. "Clock's ticking..."

Mindy grinned.

* * *

 ** _Across the street  
Adam Hunt's Office_**

"What the hell is going on out there?"

"Some big party across the street, boss. For that Lizewski guy who got off the desert island."

"Fuck..."

* * *

 ** _The Iron Works Club_**

"Does he wipe for you too?" Marty laughed as he noticed Diggle staring at Dave.

"He might, but if _she_ tries, I'll..." Mindy growled as she glared at Sarah who stood a few feet away.

I laughed and guided Mindy through the throng to the bar where we grabbed a pair of tomato juices – neither of us were ready for alcohol, not to mention that we might be working later that night. Then I paused as somebody caught my eye. Mindy noticed my expression and followed my glance.

"What is _she_ doing here?" Mindy asked.

As I watched my innocent fifteen-year-old sister, I was worried. She was growing up too damn fast and then my jaw tightened as I saw who she was talking to. The man screamed 'drug dealer' and then I saw him slip her a small vial of something – I doubted it was anything even remotely innocent.

"Back in a sec..." I growled.

..._...

"Hey, Dave! This party is sick," Thea shouted over the pounding music.

"Who let you in here?" I demanded.

"I believe it was someone who said, 'Right this way, Miss Lizewski'."

"Hey, Dave," Trish swooned. "Do you remember me? Back then, my tits were smaller..."

I ignored the stupid girl and grabbed hold of Thea's arm before I dragged her away from her friends.

"What's going on, Speedy?"

Thea shrugged off my hand.

"What's going on with _you_?"

"You shouldn't be here..."

"Uh, _not_ ten anymore."

"You're _fifteen_. You shouldn't be here..."

"I love you, Dave. But you don't get to come back and judge me. Especially for being exactly like you."

"Thea... I know it couldn't have been easy for you when I was . . . away..."

My sister laughed – it was unnerving.

"Away? So you've joined the Euphemism Club, like Mom. You were away? Unavailable? No, you were dead. You died. My brother and my father died. I went to your funerals."

"I know..." I replied feebly.

"No, you don't. Mom had her work. And I had... nothing. Now you all act like it's cool; let's just forget the last five years. Well I can't. For me, it's kind of permanently in there. So I'm sorry if I've turned out to be some major disappointment but this . . . me. . . is the best I could do with what I had to work with."

I tried to hug my sister, but she pulled away and stalked off back to her friends. I turned away and I saw Mindy smirking at me.

"Like taking candy from a baby..." she hissed.

Mindy dropped the vial into a trash bin. I wasn't watching where I was going, having been distracted by Thea. I cannoned into somebody.

"You're . . . here," I stammered.

It was Erika...

"I should've let you know I was coming. Marty invited me and..."

"No. It's fine. I shouldn't've dropped in like that before..."

"I came to talk. Mostly. Is there somewhere quieter we could go? Like an erupting volcano?"

I smiled and looked over to Mindy; she nodded and smiled.

..._...

We climbed up to the rooftop where there was a comforting breeze and a much-reduced level of noise.

"I'm sorry . . . about saying I wished you were dead," Erika began. "That was wrong.

"I'd be happy to be, if it meant me instead of her."

"About Katie... There's something... I'm afraid to ask . . . but I need to know. When she died . . . did she suffer?"

I lied.

"No."

"I think about her every day."

"Me too."

"I guess we still have one thing in common then."

 _BEEP!_

I pulled out my phone. The timer read zero. Hunt's time was up. I checked the account – nothing... I frowned; Hunt was not playing ball.

"Something wrong?" Erika asked.

"Just . . . someone who owed me some money. Didn't pay."

I looked at Erika and felt a feeling inside me that I had not felt in a while.

"I can't believe I'm saying this... But if you ever really want to talk to someone – about what happened – I'm sure it wasn't easy for you, and if you wanted I could try to...

I felt my heart break as I knew what I had to do next.

"Erika, you always saw the best in me. Even right now, you're looking for it, hoping that island changed me somehow, made me a better person. It didn't. Stay away from me. I'll just hurt you all over again. Only worse."

We walked back down towards the party together.

"You should go," I stated.

For a moment, Erika seemed disgusted.

"You're wrong, Dave. That island did change you. At least now, you're honest."

..._...

Erika headed back down to the party, while I took a shortcut through the kitchens. I saw Mindy as she came from the opposite direction, she smiled, but then she scowled. I found out why as I got closer.

"Something I can help you with, sir?"

I groaned audibly.

"Just needed a second to myself..."

I turned to find the smiling face of John Diggle.

"And I'd believe that if you weren't so full of crap. Party's this way. You too, young miss."

Diggle gestured to a door. I reached for the handle and jiggled it before I stepped back.

"It's locked."

Diggle reached past me to the handle and...

* * *

I watched as Dave seized him around the neck and squeezed until he passed out.

Dave gently laid him on the floor.

"Where's _your_ minder?"

"Stuck in the ladies' room," Mindy replied without a hint of guilt or remorse.

I shrugged and we both dragged the unconscious Diggle into a dark cupboard. We both then headed outside to the next building and from there up onto the roof.

* * *

 ** _Nine minutes later_**

 ** _Across the street  
Adam Hunt's Office Building_**

We both landed on the roof-top in total silence.

I unhooked from the wire that was embedded into the building and immediately followed Kick-Ass towards the access door to the roof. The building had twelve floors – we needed the fifth. We had noticed the Police were around the building, including a SWAT team. We would have to remain as stealthy as possible.

We had agreed on a plan, but we knew that things could go bad, so we had planned for that too. We would come from two directions. I would take the elevator down, while Kick-Ass made use of the stairs – he needed the exercise...

* * *

 ** _The Fifth Floor_**

Constantine Drakon, Adam Hunt's head of security, made a final check of his men in the lobby outside Hunt's office.

"You two cover the elevators. The rest of you; stay in the corners and remain alert," he ordered the six men in the lobby.

He turned and walked up to his boss' office before he locked the plate-glass doors behind him. He nodded at Hunt.

"It's past ten; he's never getting in here."

Adam Hunt stared down at the street, just as all the lights and the power went out...

* * *

Ding!

The elevator arrived and the doors slid open... An arrow shot out of the elevator, the moment the doors had opened wide enough, and put down one of the furthest gunmen. The men nearest the elevator moved just as a hooded figure appeared out of the semi-darkness of the elevator and used her bow to smash the knee cap of the man to her left. The man to the right tried to attack her, but he found a green arm wrapped tightly around his neck.

"She's mine!" A coarse voice hissed as the neck snapped.

Random gunfire echoed around the lobby as the guards panicked. There were now two hooded figures bouncing from pillar to wall and back to the floor as they advanced up the lobby. It was impossible to see, but the shorter of the two, in a purple hood, smiled as she flew through the air and smashed her bow into a man's face in passing.

The other vigilante took shelter behind a pillar as automatic gunfire was sent in his direction. The shooter did not live long as an arrow with purple feathers pierced his chest and tore his heart in two – he was dead before he hit the plush carpet. His colleague attempted to take down the purple hooded vigilante, but he was kicked by the green and yellow hooded vigilante and sent smashing through the plate glass doors into Adam Hunt's office.

..._...

Gunfire echo about the office as the guard was shredded by his own side, who were more than surprised by his smashing appearance. The two hooded vigilantes then appeared in the doorway, side-by-side, and they each released an arrow into the office. The first arrow impacted the final guard and he dropped in a corner of the office, the second arrow flew past Hunt's head and embedded itself into the wood panelling of the office.

"You missed!" Hunt laughed.

"Really?" The disembodied voice growled as the green and yellow vigilante aimed an arrow directly at Adam Hunt's head.

He was soon joined by the shorter, purple vigilante.

* * *

Before either one of us could say anything, a man in a dark leather jacket jumped up and seized hold of my bow and wrenched it from my hand.

I kicked out, but my attacks were inhibited – the man obviously knew the Martial Arts; very well. I span and drove a purple elbow into the side of his head. The man went down but sprang right back up again. Kick-Ass joined in and the man fought us both – yes, he was _that_ good.

I barely noticed Hunt as he quickly left the office.

* * *

 ** _Down on the street_**

"They're here!" Came the yell from the cell phone.

Detective Lance raised his radio to his mouth.

"All units converge! All units converge!"

Dozens of armed Police ran towards the building.

* * *

 ** _The fifth floor_**

Hit Girl was kicked to one side and I felt myself picked up and smashed down onto a glass topped table.

The leather-jacketed man was on top, but I wrapped my legs around his neck and pulled him down to the floor which gave me time to regain my feet. We continued to fight, one on one, until Hit Girl was able to re-join the fight. I caught the man's wrist and wrenched it behind him so Hit Girl could kick him hard in the stomach. He fell back against the wall and then to the floor where he reached for a fallen MP7 submachine gun.

Just when he raised it towards me, I dived backwards as gunfire erupted in my direction.

* * *

I sent a knife at the man, just as he opened fire on Kick-Ass.

There was no way to know if my partner had been struck by a bullet, but at least the last man was dead. I jumped over the couch and then the desk to find Kick-Ass on his back – his eyes were closed and his hood had fallen back.

I landed beside him and roughly slapped him around the face. Nothing. I went to slap him again and found my left wrist held in a grip of steel.

"Let's leave that stuff for the bedroom, huh?"

I grinned and then turned as I heard movement and saw lights coming from the lobby – the Police had arrived.

"Plan B?" I enquired.

"Plan B," Kick-Ass confirmed.

* * *

 ** _The Fifth Floor Lobby_**

The two Detectives entered behind the leading SWAT team, their pistols out and raised.

The boots of the SWAT team crunched on the broken glass. There were half-a-dozen bodies immediately visible and most bore obvious arrows sticking out of their bodies. As the SWAT team mounted the stairs the leader shouted out a challenge.

"Police! Lay down your weapons or we'll open fire! Lay down your weapons!"

The two vigilantes both sprang up from behind the desk and one sent an arrow into the doorframe closest to the SWAT team. The other fired an arrow at a window which shattered and they both dived through it, about two seconds apart.

The SWAT leader ran to the window and stopped in surprise as both vigilantes fired off arrows which trailed a cable and as the arrows impaled another building, they casually swung onto the roof of the building across the road.

"Tell me you saw that!"

"I did," Detective Lance muttered. "Let's move!"

* * *

 ** _The Iron Works Club_**

The party was still in full swing as the Police ran in the door.

One SWAT member made directly for the DJ and cut the ear-splitting music. Detective Lance waved his officers off to search the building.

"Search the building. Roof to basement. Find them!"

Detective Lance then turned to address the party.

"This is the CPD. Party's over kids."

There were many groans and a lot of general verbal abuse of the CPD.

"Mr Eisenburg. Imagine my shock at finding you here. Roofied anybody special, tonight?"

Before Marty could respond, Dave intervened.

"This is a private party, Detective."

The Detective turned to lay his eyes on Dave Lizewski as he stood there in his black jacket, trousers and white shirt, a drink in his hand. A few feet behind him, was Mindy in her purple shirt and black jeans – again with a half-consumed drink in her hand.

"Unbelievable," Lance chuckled.

"Sorry, the music's been loud..."

"Know anything about Adam Hunt's place getting attacked?"

"Who's Adam Hunt?"

"A millionaire scumbag, like you. I'm kinda surprised you aren't friends."

"I've been out of town for a while."

Lance's radio squawked.

"No sign of them."

"No sign of who?" Mindy asked innocently – she was good at that.

"The guys with the hoods who saved your collective asses the other day."

"You still haven't figured out who that was? If it'd help, I could post a reward."

Dave turned to the crowd.

"Two million bucks to anyone who can find a nutbar in a green hood."

The crowd cheered in response as the Detective stepped closer to Dave. Rage and pain bubbled over.

"Did you even _try_ to save her?"

Dave's stomach plummeted. Unable to answer. That only enraged the Detective further. Detective Hilton attempted to intervene.

"Did you even _try_ to save my daughter?"

"Let's go, partner."

* * *

I turned away from the enraged Detective . . . into Thea.

She must have heard our brief conversation. Disappointment was obvious in her expression.

" _Did_ you try to save Dad? Or did you just let him die, too?"

The look in her eyes – the disappointment, it tore into me; she was the one person in my family that I was closest to... it was almost too much to bear. Words failed me as Thea turned to re-join her friends. I was out of character, so I turned back to the crowd with a forced smile.

"It is waaay too quiet in here!"

As the music returned to its previous earth-shattering volume, Marty approached.

"Some coincidence. You asking to have your party here and then Hunt getting robbed right next door. And by the same guys who rescued us at the warehouse. Two guys that I never saw."

"I thought you were unconscious," I replied darkly and I noticed Marty flinch away from me.

"I was."

An obvious lie.

"That's good..."

"What happened to you two on that island?"

"A lot."

* * *

 ** _The next morning  
Sunday, June 5th_**

 ** _Central Chicago_**  
 ** _Adam Hunt's Office_**

Hunt gazed angrily around his ruined office and the tarpaulins that covered the empty window frames.

"I want the entire security system overhauled. Card keys. Motion detectors. Everything military grade. No one gets in here again..." Hunt spied an arrow sticking out of his wall. "Ever!"

"Sir, your accountant is holding on line one..."

Hunt stormed over to his desk where he picked up his phone.

"What is it, Ron?"

Whatever Ron said, Hunt's face turned a nasty shade of off-white.

"What the _hell_ are you talking about?! Forty million dollars doesn't just up and vanish...! Untraceable? IT'S FORTY MILLION DOLLARS! FIND IT!"

Hunt stopped for a second as he spied a shorter than normal arrow that was embedded in the wood panelling just behind his desk. _The arrow that missed!_ Sudden realisation hit Hunt as he slumped into his chair.

"Shit. It was a goddamn set up..."

Hunt slumped backwards, broke and broken.

* * *

 ** _That same time_**

 ** _West Lake Street_**

"Cool!"

It was awesome to watch as $40,000,000 drained out of Hunt's bank account and into a temporary holding account. From there, the money was then separated into much smaller chunks and discretely deposited into back accounts all over Chicago.

"A job well done," Dave commented as he opened the drawer beneath the desk and withdrew a certain Moleskin notebook.

He flipped open the page and ran his finger down the names until he found the one he sought: Adam Hunt.

A line was dutifully drawn through his name.

* * *

 ** _Barrington Hills_**

The atmosphere was tense.

Diggle was in trouble.

"Passed out in a closet! I think I'm starting to understand how my son's been managing to shed you every day for the past week."

"Mrs Lizewski, I don't know what happened. If you wish to fire me..."

"I do. And you are . . . fired."

"Don't I get a say?" I demanded carefully.

"It wasn't his fault. It was a couple of ex-bouncers who had some beef with me," I explained and then I turned to Diggle. "We were in the kitchen; they came up behind you . . . you never had a chance. I tossed 'em a few thousand. It's all settled now."

"I vote we give him another shot," Mindy chimed in.

"This isn't a game, you two, and Mindy – I know Sarah got locked in the ladies' room, too. This is your lives..."

"Which we value very much. Besides, I think Dig and I understand each other. _Don't we?_ "

Diggle nodded.

"Yes . . . sir."

I understood that Sarah had received a roasting from Marcus, but who could predict a lock failing like that!

* * *

 ** _CNRI Office_**

Erika was on the phone.

"...I don't think you have anything to worry about Mrs Di Dio. But that said, as your attorney . . . if, hypothetically, $50,000 magically appeared in your bank account; it might be best not to speak of it... To anyone... Ever... God bless you too, Mrs Di Dio."

Erika hung up the phone.

"Weird."

..._...

Detective Quentin Lance sat down at the desk across from Erika.

"Strange day?"

"Strangest."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Attorney-client privilege."

"You know cops hate that."

"I think that's the point."

"Have you seen him?"

"Yes."

"He was throwing himself a party last night.

"Yeah. I heard."

"Celebrating his miraculous return from the dead; I wanted to send him right back there."

Detective Lance paused before he spoke again.

"I keep thinking about the last time I talked to her. On the phone. She said she was at that school of hers. But she must have been at an airport . . . with him. I was at work when she called. Busy with a case. Drug bust. Nothing big. But that day it seemed so important. More important than talking to my daughter. So I got off the phone."

"Dad..."

"Maybe if I talked to her for longer, I would've realized she wasn't at school. I could've yelled at her. Told her to get her ass home."

"No, Dad. The only lesson here is for both of us not to let Dave Lizewski back into our lives. Period."

Detective Lance nodded.

"So how's work?"

"A puzzle. These vigilantes. Hoods and arrows. It's surreal."

"Any leads?"

"No, but the Mayor wants me to establish a task force. Whoever they are – we'll get them. It's like I've always told you Laurel... We don't need to go outside the law to find justice. I believe that. And by the time I'm done, these guys'll believe it too."

* * *

 ** _Late That Night  
Northern Chicago_**

They met in a secluded parking lot, away from prying eyes.

"The Police failed to identify the men I hired to kidnap David, and they never will," the grizzled man said

"Good."

"Should we arrange another abduction?"

"No," Alice Lizewski replied. "There are other ways of finding out what my son knows."

* * *

 ** _That Same Time  
Barrington Hills_**

"I wonder how our Mr Hunt is feeling?" I enquired idly as I cuddled into Mindy.

"Well," Mindy replied. "From what I just saw of him on the news, he looked like he just got butt-fucked by a rhino!"

I laughed out loud at that.

* * *

 _No one has any idea how much the island changed us._

 _There are many more names on the list. Those who rule our city by intimidation and fear; every last one of them will wish that we had both died on that island._


	3. Into The Jungle

_The day we went missing was the day we died._

 _Five years in hell forged us into a weapon which we use to honour a vow that we both made to our fathers who sacrificed their lives for ours. In their final moments, they told us the truth that our families' wealth had been built on the suffering of others. That they had failed our city and that it was up to us to save it and right their wrongs._

 _But to do that without endangering the people closest to us we had to be someone else._

 _We had to be_ something _else._

* * *

 ** _July 3rd, 2011_**

 ** _Northern South China Sea  
Lian Yu_**

I had no idea how long we had been drifting in the liferaft.

Everything had been a blur since the massive wall of water that had washed me and Daddy overboard. By overboard, I mean washed through a gaping split in the Wildcat's hull and into the ocean. We had endured a night and a good chunk of day before the storm had abated. I was cold and sore from the salt that chaffed my skin.

Along with the two of us, the Wildcat's captain, Hackett, had survived, and he was lounging on the other side of our not so luxurious rubber raft. Daddy faded in and out of consciousness and he talked about this and that. I had endured an hour of him telling me how much he loved me and that I would survive and take my place in Chicago.

I had spent most of my life relying on others and rarely doing things for myself. I was a spoilt daddy's girl and I was getting the idea that I was about to lose my Daddy.

* * *

 ** _The Present  
Monday, June 6th, 2016  
Late Evening_**

 ** _Central Chicago_**

It was dark as the helicopter unloaded its passengers before it launched and headed northwest for the airport.

But before the six men could leave the rooftop, two forms emerged from the bright landing lights at one end of the long rooftop.

"Who's that?"

"Where'd they come from?"

"Get the chopper back, now!"

There was confusion on the part of the five security men. The first man went down to a kick in the stomach from the shorter, purple hooded form. The second and third men attacked the green-clad form with a yellow and green hood. Both forms carried compound bows in their left hands and had quivers of arrows on their backs.

The fight was over very fast, a matter of fifteen seconds. The taller vigilante nocked an arrow as his colleague did the same before she dropped one of the security men who had clambered back to his feet and had tried to attack from the rear.

"Dumbass!" she growled as like quicksilver, she shot the remaining two security men in the right hands as they belatedly reached for their pistols. "Two more dumbasses!"

One reeled away in agony while the other received the compound bow in his face and he went down like a rock.

* * *

Kick-Ass turned to the suit.

"Please, wait, wait..."

Kick-Ass ignored the pleading as he seized the man by his tailored suit jacket.

"No, please!"

The suit was thrown off the helicopter pad and onto a lower part of the roof, where he landed on an air-conditioning unit. Kick-Ass followed him as I kept watch. The grill over the wildly spinning conditioner blades was kicked in with a spray of sparks as it contacted the blades beneath. The suit was terrified as his head and face was forced closer to the lethal blades.

"No, please!"

"Marcus Redmond, _you've failed this city_..."

"Please, don't... Please . . . don't."

"Cell phone," Kick-Ass growled. "Inside pocket, call your partner. Tell him to give those pensioners back their money."

"Please, don't."

The cunt was begging...

"Do it now."

With that, Kick-Ass and I were gone.

* * *

 ** _July 3rd, 2011_**

 ** _Northern South China Sea  
Lian Yu_**

Daddy had told me how he had failed the city of Chicago.

I did not understand – Daddy was perfect; he could not fail anybody. He told me about a list of names – again, I had no idea what he was talking about. I had dozed off and when I awoke, I saw Daddy and Hackett staring at three bottles of water and a small pile of MREs.

"A few days. Maybe. Best guess?" Daddy asked.

"With the current, maybe a week from the Paracel Islands," Hackett replied.

Daddy looked at me and he had a strange expression on his face.

"We're not going to last. The three of us. But you can. You can survive. Make it back to Chicago. I ruined our city. You can save it."

Daddy had lost his mind?

"Just rest, Daddy."

"This is my penance. This is what I deserve. But you..."

Daddy touched my face. I began to cry.

"...you're my absolution."

With that, Daddy pulled a small revolver from behind his back and he shot Hackett who rolled over the side into the water. I was stunned – I think I screamed.

"Daddy!"

"I love you, Mindy. Survive!"

With that Daddy put the gun to his head and...

* * *

 ** _The Present  
Tuesday, June 7th, 2016  
Early Morning_**

 ** _Barrington Hills_**

"It's okay, it's okay; I'm here..."

I was covered in sweat and I looked up into Dave's eyes. He was worried; he always was when I had a nightmare.

"Which one?" He asked simply.

"The raft."

"He did it for good reason. If he had not, then we would never have met."

My mind drifted as Dave's soothing voice continued.

* * *

 ** _July 6th, 2011_**

 ** _Northern South China Sea  
Lian Yu_**

No matter how I felt, I knew that remaining with my father's dead body would not help me.

I wrapped his body in the partially deflated liferaft, I could not think of anything else to do and he was way too heavy for me to move. The beach was small and sheltered between some towering rocks. It was already past noon and I knew that I would need to find shelter, not to mention food and water.

As I had headed up the beach, I had taken a last look back at the raft.

..._...

After having awoken next to a dead body, I had almost given up hope, having also just endured a somewhat turbulent night. Then, out of the mists had come this shockingly horrific sight and I had felt a chill run down my spine. All I had been able to see were towering spires of rock – it was land, but it was not exactly the coast of Maine!

The sandy beach had rapidly turned into rocks and then thick tropical trees. I kinda wished for a machete as I pushed through the thick underbrush. I was glad that I had abandoned ship in a pair of long slacks, some sneakers, and a long-sleeved shirt. So, where was I headed? While drifting close to the island, I had been more than a little surprised to see something in the sky – for a moment, I thought it might have been a plane searching for us, but no...

The plane plunged down through the sky and just before it vanished behind the jagged peaks, I saw the aircraft split in two, the cockpit plunged downwards while the large part of the fuselage drifted away before it then plunged downwards and both sections vanished from sight.

I was certain that the island was uninhabited – who would want to live on an island that looked like it had been ripped from Mordor in Middle-earth. Somebody may have survived the crash, either that or I might find a radio or supplies in the wreckage.

I could only hope.

* * *

 ** _The Present  
Tuesday, June 7th, 2016_**

 ** _Barrington Hills_**

As Mindy showered, I lay on the bed and flipped lazily through the Moleskin notebook.

There were many names written down, none of which I recognised. A couple ran a bell or two but that was that. I needed to find our next target and continue our quest for vengeance for those that had wronged our city.

My head jerked up as Mindy appeared from the shower. Not unusually, the towel was being used to dry her long, blonde hair, as opposed to covering up her body. Not that I minded, of course. Mindy's body was almost as familiar to me as my own and despite all the scars and skin damage, she looked amazingly beautiful. Her body had changed a lot since I had first seen her naked and not necessarily in a good way.

I thought back to the first time I'd seen her naked.

* * *

 ** _July 10th, 2011_**

 ** _Northern South China Sea  
Lian Yu_**

We had had enough of smelling like dogs and to be honest it was becoming uncomfortable.

Mindy and I had been together for four days and on the island for six. As far as we knew, we were very much alone on the island. It was not exactly a paradise but we had found a remarkably beautiful valley which had a rushing stream that ran down from one of the taller peaks on the island that seemed to be forever partially hidden in mist.

The stream emptied into a lake and the water was pure – we had been drinking it and we had filled up our water containers with it.

* * *

 ** _The Present  
Tuesday, June 7th, 2016_**

 ** _Barrington Hills_**

As I dried my hair, I noticed Dave watching me.

He knew my body as intimately as I knew his. It did not bother me; we had shared death together, we had shared hell together. We had been sharing our bodies for four years in various ways. Read into that what you wish, but needless to say, I was no longer a virgin in more ways than one.

I smiled as my mind drifted.

* * *

 ** _July 10th, 2011_**

 ** _Northern South China Sea  
Lian Yu_**

"I've had enough," I exclaimed. "I need a bath – and I'm sorry, but so do you, Dave."

"I know!" Dave replied.

"That water looks _so_ inviting..."

"You go first..."

"Why me?"

"Ladies first..."

I scowled.

"I am no lady..."

I stopped as I realised what I had just said. Dave grinned.

"Ha, ha!" I growled as I turned and headed for the water.

* * *

 ** _The Present Day  
Tuesday, June 7th, 2016_**

 ** _Barrington Hills_**

Mindy had that faraway look – she had had it several times since our return; though this time, she was smiling.

I could remember all our happy times – there were not all that many of them – and most were soon after we had landed on the island and found each other. At first, Mindy had been a bitch and very standoffish. Actually, I had hated her at first. From day one she had been a drama-queen, a lazy tramp and a stuck up bitch.

But then, after a couple of days, the ice queen had thawed slightly – if not, the swim in the lake might never have happened.

* * *

 ** _July 10th, 2011_**

 ** _Northern South China Sea  
Lian Yu_**

I had watched Mindy as she left the clearing above the lake.

Initially, I had had no intention of watching her . . . but I was a teenage boy and well... I had followed her and stopped within the treeline where she could not see me. Mindy was standing beside the water and after a brief look around her, she pulled off her shirt and placed it carefully on a rock close to her. Next, she toed off her sneakers and undid her belt and the button on her slacks. The slacks fell to the ground where they revealed Mindy's skinny but surprisingly muscular legs and thighs. She was left wearing her halter top and a pair of sky-blue panties.

She paused and seemed to glare in my direction – for I moment I thought that she had seen me but then Mindy crouched down, faced away from me, and she pulled off her top and then in a single smooth motion, she removed her panties.

..._...

With that, Mindy slid down into the water and was quickly past her waist in the water. As I watched, she turned slightly and I could make out the small mounds on her toned chest. The baggy clothes that she had worn had hidden a body that had barely any fat on it – she had obviously exercised regularly.

Mindy pulled her long blonde hair out of its ponytail and then ducked her head underwater before she thoroughly rinsed her hair through. She spent another few minutes swimming around before she turned back towards me and her clothes. The thirteen-year-old girl made no effort to cover herself as she rose up, out of the water.

As the water ran off her body, I noticed the small dark patch at the top of her legs – not much, but enough to show that she had started puberty. As Mindy dressed, I quickly returned to the clearing.

..._...

Mindy reappeared several minutes later, her wet hair tied back in a ponytail. She was grinning at me and for some reason I felt scared.

"You enjoy that?" She asked.

"Enjoy what?" I replied innocently.

Mindy scowled.

"I know that you were looking – well, what did you think?"

"You mean, about you?" I stammered uncomfortably.

"Yes, about my body – and be very careful about what you say!" She growled.

"Very nice – compact and, err, developing nicely..."

I lapsed into silence and waited for the sky to fall, but instead, Mindy smiled.

"Thanks," she laughed and then she smirked. "Your turn..."

* * *

 ** _The Present  
Tuesday, June 7th, 2016_**

 ** _Barrington Hills_**

I was secretly very pleased by what Dave had said.

Mind you, if he had laughed, then I would have killed him, right there and then! I had to admit that I hated my body as it was then. Nothing seemed to be right. My legs were too long and skinny – my ass seemed to that of a young boy and my thighs were tight but larger than I would have liked. My stomach was my favourite part and that was as hard as concrete.

There was _nothing_ to say about my chest, mainly because there was _nothing_ there – I'd seen bigger bumps on an ice-rink and there was no reason to wear a bra, so I was not wearing one. As for that other place – the amount of thatching had been pretty pathetic, I thought. It was dark brown in colour and there was a reasonable amount of it, but it did not cover very much.

While I had not minded Dave seeing my non-existent chest, for some reason I had been very shy about him seeing that very private area between my legs. In fact, Dave was the first person to see my vulva ever since I had stopped wearing diapers. Mind you, I had felt a weird thrill as I had paraded naked and I had felt things that I had never felt before...

* * *

 ** _July 10th, 2011_**

 ** _Northern South China Sea  
Lian Yu_**

I had already seen him topless and for his age, he was not too bad up there. He had a few muscles, but nothing like mine and I intended to work on that...

I knew what Dave probably had, but I actually found myself giggling as I thought about it. I knew all about the 'birds and the bees' – Mom had covered all that when I was ten. I stopped giggling when Dave kicked off his sneakers and he slid down his pants. He turned away from me and I just glared at his back – he wore boxers – striped, blue and white ones.

I laughed as I saw him turn towards me and smile nervously. Then, quick as a flash, the boxers were off and he was in the water – I saw nothing!

..._...

I enjoyed watching him wash. For a boy of his age, he had a nice body – 'for a boy of his age'; what the fuck did I know about boys? Nothing – never seen one, and generally, I tried to avoid them. I thought them ignorant and they tended to annoy me.

I took a deep breath as Dave began to leave the water – not exactly a candidate for a Diet Coke advert but for a thirteen-year-old girl with hormones on a deserted island... Okay – not big, but not small – I had nothing to compare him with. There was a good quantity of hair – way more than what I had, but that was not exactly hard. Damn, I realised that I had been holding my breath in eager anticipation – I also felt tremors in my stomach. Was that just sweat?

I shook myself out of it and found that Dave had his boxers back on and was working on his pants.

Dave was smirking wildly as he returned to the clearing. I blushed badly and I felt the heat as it seared my cheeks.

* * *

 ** _The Present  
Tuesday, June 7th, 2016_**

 ** _Barrington Hills_**

"I know what's going through your mind – do you still get yourself off with that scene?"

I scowled and quickly put my hands behind my back.

"You know I do..."

I felt my face go really hot.

* * *

 ** _Later That Morning_**

It had been decided that we _did_ need to go up before Judge.

"You coming, Speedy?"

"The first four times were enough for me, Dave; I'll sit this one out."

"Mrs Lizewski, the cars are ready," Diggle announced.

Snarky – she obviously had not forgiven me for the other evening.

* * *

 ** _Outside the Courthouse_**

Naturally, there was a marauding hoard of news reporters and photographers outside the courthouse as we pulled up in the Bentley. They began yelling and snapping away they moment Diggle opened the rear door. I felt Mindy's hand as it tightened around my own – she felt intimidated by crowds and the press were like an army as they pushed forwards.

"Mr Lizewski..."

"Miss Macready..."

The calls were relentless.

"How does it feel to return to civilization after five years? What happened on that island...?"

We ignored everything and with the help of Diggle and Sarah, we pushed through and gained the relative sanctity of the courthouse.

* * *

 ** _The Court Room_**

"...There was a storm. The boat went down. I was the only survivor. My father didn't make it...

"...The engines cut out and the aircraft dropped out of the sky. My father died in the crash..."

Mindy had gone first, then myself. We then made a joint statement.

"When we reached the island, and we found each other, we knew . . . we knew that we were gonna have to live for both of us... And in those five years, it was that one thought that kept us going."

During the entire event, Mindy was gripping my hand tightly; almost enough to restrict blood flow. Our lawyer stood.

"Your Honour, we move to vitiate the death-in-absentia filed after David's aircraft accident and Mindy's disappearance at sea aboard the Wildcat, five years ago. Unfortunately, we will not be requesting that the declaration of death filed for the petitioners' fathers, James Lizewski and Damon Macready, be rescinded... These two families are only entitled to one miracle each, I'm afraid."

Within minutes, it was over and we were both very much 'alive'; at least as far as the law of the land was concerned.

..._...

Mindy and I, with Marty in tow, left the courtroom and fast as possible and we moved quickly down the stairs and...

"Hi."

"Hi," replied Erika, somewhat surprised to see me. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, they were bringing us back from the dead."

"Legally speaking..." Mindy added.

"What are _you_ doing here?" I asked.

"My job."

"Right."

"More like the DA's," quipped Joanna, Laurel's colleague from the CNRI "Hi."

I noticed another lady, just behind Erika.

"Dave Lizewski."

"Emily Nocenti."

"Dave just got back from five years on an uncharted island. Before that, he was cheating on me with my sister. He was with her when she died. Last week, he told me to stay away from him. It was really good advice. Excuse me."

"It was nice to meet you," Emily said as Joanna guided her off after the angry Erika.

"Yeah, let's go," Mindy suggested tactfully.

"Come on, buddy. Shake it off. Let's go," Marty added.

* * *

 ** _Outside the Courthouse_**

There was another media circus underway as we left the courthouse.

"Mr Somers. One question, sir."

"I don't know what I've done to earn this witch hunt from Ms Lance and her bosses at the CNRI, but I can tell you this: I am an honest businessman and I will fight this slander to my last dime and breath. That's all I have to say. Thank you."

I glared at the man and I saw Mindy doing the same – I could see the anger rising from within her like a volcano about to erupt. I guided her behind the throng of media and...

..._...

"Oh, there's Mr Lizewski..."

"Do you want to follow up?"

"Tell us what happened inside, Mr Lizewksi..."

For once, we were both grateful for the presence of Diggle and Sarah as they forced their way through the assembled hoards.

"Step back everybody, please," Sarah insisted.

"Can you give us a couple comments?"

"Before you go, sir..."

The fucking vultures were persistent!

"Comments about the island?"

"What happened?"

"Step back!" Sarah almost yelled.

"Hey man, I'll make you swallow that Nikon," Diggle suggested to one reporter. "Back."

..._...

John Diggle and Sarah Clarke slammed the rear door once their charges were securely inside.

They both turned to scan the crowd before they headed for the Bentley's front doors, only before they could get anywhere near them, the Bentley's engine came to life and with a squeal of tyres the luxury motor accelerated away.

Before either of the security experts could say a word, Marty chipped in.

"This happens to you two a lot, doesn't it...?"

Diggle growled.


	4. Thea

_Erika was targeting the worst that Chicago had to offer, so it was no surprise that Martin Somers was listed in the Moleskin book. The City's DA and Police could not stop him. Erika thinks that she is the only one willing to bring him to justice. She was wrong._

* * *

 ** _The Present  
Tuesday, June 7th, 2016_**

 ** _That Afternoon_**

 ** _West Lake Street_**

It was finally time.

I was going to get to drool over Dave as he tested out the Salmon Ladder. While I proceeded to pound a punch bag into submission, Dave stripped off his t-shirt (awesome) and he reached up to grip the steel bar ( _so_ tantalising) – so . . . cue the music...

 _Risin' up, back on the street  
Did my time, took my chances  
Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet  
Just a man and his will to survive_

The ladder worked perfectly . . . and as for the view...

 _So many times, it happens too fast  
You trade your passion for glory  
Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past  
You must fight just to keep them alive_

I actually missed the punch bag completely with my next punch – my attention was _not_ where it should have been and as for my raging teenage hormones...

 _It's the eye of the tiger, it's the cream of the fight  
Risin' up to the challenge of our rivals  
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night  
And he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger_

I was downcast when Dave made it back down again...

* * *

"Your turn..."

I grinned as Mindy glared up at me. However, she walked over to the ladder and moved the bar down a rung before she gripped it tightly in both hands. She wore nothing more than a sport's bra and her shorts (it was torture) – so . . . cue the music...

 _Two worlds collide  
Rival nations  
It's a primitive clash  
Venting years of frustrations  
Bravely we hope  
Against all hope  
There is so much at stake  
Seems our freedom's up  
Against the ropes  
Does the crowd understand?  
Is it East versus West  
Or man against man  
Can any nation stand alone_

Damn, seeing her body twist and her muscles flex – they weren't the only things that were hard...

 _In the burning heart  
Just about to burst  
There's a quest for answers  
An unquenchable thirst  
In the darkest night  
Rising like a spire  
In the burning heart  
The unmistakable fire_

I smiled as she came back down again – her grin was enormous. The sweat was dripping off her but she had never looked _so_ gorgeous... The moment that her feet touched the concrete floor, I swept her of her feet and threw her onto a thick mat. Her hypnotic green eyes looked up at me and I fucking melted inside...

 _In the warriors' code  
There's no surrender  
Though his body says stop  
His spirit cries, never!  
Deep in our soul  
A quiet ember  
Knows it's you against you  
It's the paradox  
That drives us on  
It's a battle of wills  
In the heat of attack  
It's the passion that kills  
The victory is yours alone_

It was so very different to our first meeting.

* * *

 ** _July 6th, 2011_**

 ** _Northern South China Sea  
Lian Yu_**

I was despondent and I had no idea what I was going to do.

I sat on the ground beside the remains of the five-million-dollar Cessna jet and I tried to forget that my Daddy was lying dead, only a few feet away from me. I knew that I had to leave the jet and my Dad but I had no idea where to go. I could not find any of the paper charts – they had been stowed in the after section of the fuselage, which was missing. We had relied on the electronic charts during the flight which were now unavailable thanks to the dead computers.

For now, Dad was under a tarpaulin in what remained of the rear cabin.

..._...

As I stood up and considered making a move, I saw movement in the trees a few feet away and I was stunned to see a young girl appear. Though she was very dirty and dishevelled, she looked like she might have been out on an afternoon excursion – she definitely did _not_ look as if she had been marooned on a deserted island. She stopped at the sight of me and the downed aircraft. Her expression showed relief, instead of the expected surprise.

"I thought I'd _never_ find the crash site," she said matter-of-factly.

"Where'd the heck you come from?" I demanded.

"Our yacht sank and I was washed up on the beach – thatta way..."

She pointed back the way she had come.

"I'm Mindy, Mindy Macready."

"Dave, Dave Lizewski..."

"I thought you looked familiar... You're the billionaire's son . . . from Chicago."

"Guilty as charged..." I replied.

The girl's tone was anything but approving and if anything, she seemed to look down on me as something unappealing. I took an instant dislike to Mindy Macready, but for the moment, she was all that I had.

* * *

 ** _The Present  
Tuesday, June 7th, 2016_**

 ** _West Lake Street_**

I was no damn push over...

As Dave approached me, I bit my lip and I was overcome with sensations that I knew could tear me apart. He knelt down before me but I wagged my finger – no... Dave groaned – mind you, so did I inside . . . but it would be _so_ worth the wait...

I pushed myself away from him and I watched his eyes as they moved up my legs from my bare toes to the top of my thighs. I scrabbled behind me for my phone; it was connected to the wireless speakers that dotted the basement. I had just a second to find a song and move before Dave began to ravish me... I found a suitable track and I stabbed play.

The music started and Dave laughed.

 _I've been meaning to tell you  
I've got this feelin' that won't subside  
I look at you and I fantasize  
You're mine tonight  
Now I've got you in my sights_

I sang along to the words as I backed away from my man but I could not stop from giggling as I did so – Dave always complained that I was a 'damn tease', when it came to sex... Dave played the game as he always did and slowly, he moved towards me – his blue eyes sparkled as they stared directly at me when Dave joined in with the singing.

 _With these hungry eyes  
One look at you and I can't disguise  
I've got hungry eyes  
I feel the magic between you and I_

I grabbed a rope and hauled myself up it, towards the ceiling, high above. As I went higher, I felt the rope jerk and there was Dave, right behind me – I dived across to the next rope and then the next before I threw myself through the air and landed on the support cable for one of the four punch bags. Dave grinned and he started to move in my direction – I noticed a considerable bulge in his shorts...

 _I want to hold you so hear me out  
I want to show you what love's all about  
Darling tonight  
Now I've got you in my sights_

I decided to up the ante and I pulled off my sports bra...

"You fucking bitch!" Dave growled as he took in my bare breasts and the very ready nipples that seemed to stick out a mile. Dave was ruggedly handsome and the muscles that rippled as he swung from rope to rope, plus the sweat which accentuated the curves – the Diet Coke guy could go to fuck; I had Dave!

 _With these hungry eyes  
One look at you and I can't disguise  
I've got hungry eyes  
I feel the magic between you and I_

I was feeling something; I could tell you! It was wet and I was certain it was not sweat that ran around my twat – I needed air down there. As I flipped off the top of the punch bag to land on my feet on the concrete floor, I gazed up at Dave and coyly beckoned him on with the forefinger of my left hand. While his attention was on the finger, I shucked my shorts...

 _With these hungry eyes  
Now I've got you in my sights  
With these hungry eyes  
Now did I take you by surprise_

Dave was now gripping the last rope with a wrist of steel, his biceps rippling. I saw the lust in his eyes...

 _I need you to see  
This love was meant to be_

 _...and_ in his shorts...

 _I've got hungry eyes  
One look at you and I can't disguise  
I've got hungry eyes  
I feel the magic between you and I_

The rest of the track seemed to fade as Dave swung himself down to the floor and he dumped his shorts beside my own. I jumped up and wrapped my arms around his strong, muscular neck and my legs around his waist. I felt him knocking at my door . . . so, I let him in... The track changed and we continued to kiss deeply, Dave's tongue dancing the Merengue with my own, as he thrust deep inside me.

 _I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation  
You're living in the past, it's a new generation  
A girl can do what she wants to do and that's what I'm gonna do_

Dave pulled out of me and I was thrown onto the mat – okay, I liked it rough...

I _don't give a damn 'bout my reputation  
I've never been afraid of any deviation  
An' I don't really care if you think I'm strange  
I ain't gonna change_

He jumped me and I wrapped my legs around his neck and a second later as I twisted my hips, _I_ was on top. Dave placed his hands on my chest and he gently massaged the soft skin and _very_ sensitive nipples. I struggled to contain the sensations that emanated from each nipple and which seemed to split – some going straight for my brain and the rest heading south for my clit... Dave smiled and then I found myself staring up at him as a pair of fingers began to caress said clit and I began to pant and moan as I tried in vain to control my body.

Dave had full control of my body – he knew exactly what to touch and for how long – there was nothing that I could do but enjoy the sensations that then built up between my legs and I felt like I was about to explode and then when Dave slid inside me, I wrapped my arms around him. I gripped him like I would never let go as we both built to a climax. My nails dug deeply into his back . . . I screamed out as he yelled with the pain and pleasure.

 _So why should I care about a bad reputation anyway?  
Oh no, not me, oh no, not me_

I could not breathe, my vision was fading and my body was paralysed, but I still felt the surge of warmth as Dave erupted inside me. I could taste the salt of our sweat which ran into my mouth and I smiled as Dave rolled off me and I gripped his hand tightly.

"Thank God, for soundproofing!" Dave quipped and I giggled out loud.

 _An' I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation  
Oh no, not me, oh no, not me  
Not me, not me_

* * *

After we had disentangled ourselves and got back to our feet, the post-fuck, fuck-about began.

Dave would tease my very sensitive nipples while I would try to get him hard again – once or twice, we had ended up fucking again. But, for the moment, we had work to do; we had a cunt to fuck... We showered and then pulled on our suits and hoods. We each selected our own tips, shafts and feathers to make up our quiver of arrows. My arrows were different to Dave's – we both had a subtly different approach to how we assembled our arrows.

We shared the pool of 'trick' arrows, though.

* * *

 ** _That Night_**

 ** _The Docks_**

"You, listen up," Somers dictated to his lawyer. "The longer this goes on, the more likely the media is to crucify me – you shut this trial down, you understand me?"

"Yes, sir..."

There was the twang of something flying through the air, then a thunk and a sizzle, followed by the lights going out.

More twangs and thunks, then grunts in the darkness. The lights came back on. Somers span around – three men were on the ground. Fear expanded inside him then he felt something on his neck and then his world went black.

..._...

As he regained consciousness, Somers found himself gently swinging from side to side, and . . . upside down!

"Martin Somers..." came an unearthly voice.

"What – who?"

He looked around, hoping to see some help, but instead, he saw just dark, empty, dock. He also saw that he was suspended from a crane by his feet.

"You've failed this city," another, equally unearthly voice growled and Somers' head twisted around.

He could make out two hooded shapes – one green and yellow, the other purple. Both held bows in their left hands, with an arrow held in their right. The purple one released an arrow which he felt as it rushed past his inverted face.

"No, no, no..." he begged.

"You're going to testify in that trial..." the Green Hood began.

"You're going to confess to having Victor Nocenti killed..." the Purple Hood continued.

"There will be no second warning!" The Green Hood finished and the Purple Hood released an arrow which flew much closer and cut his cheek, deep enough to bleed.

As Somers gazed around him, he saw nobody, but then he fell the three feet to the ground as the rope that supported him was cut.

* * *

 ** _An hour or so later._**

 ** _Barrington Hills_**

"I hired you to protect my son... Now, I'm not a professional bodyguard, but it seems to me that the first requirement is to be close to the man that you are paid to protect."

"With all due respect, Mrs Lizewski, I've never had a client that did not want my protection."

"I hired you, Mr Diggle, and that makes _me_ the client. Now, where do you think my son is going – with that girl – on their private excursions?"

"Ma'am, I truly have no idea," Diggle admitted.

"...and he truly doesn't."

..._...

Alice Lizewski turned as her son strode into the room sporting an enormous grin.

"Then perhaps you would like to explain where it is that you two run off to."

"We've been alone for five years..."

"I know, honey..."

"Mom... All this . . . it's taking some getting used to, for both of us... We're used to being alone and outside."

"I want you to promise that you will both take Mr Diggle and Miss Clarke, with you on your next excursion – it is not safe; you have already been taken once and there are a pair of maniacs out there who are hunting the wealthy..."

"The maniacs, as you put it, saved our lives."

"This is not a game..." Alice almost hissed as she struggled to control her tears. "I lost you once . . . and I am not going through that again..."

"Okay."

Mindy was hovering just outside the door and she nodded her own acknowledgement with a quick glance at Sarah who stood beside her. Alice Lizewski nodded and walked out of the room.

"We're sorry to cause you two so much grief," Dave offered to the angry Diggle.

"I served three tours in Afghanistan, Mr Lizewski, and you don't even come _close_ to my definition of grief..."

"Tell you what," Sarah cut in. "You two ditch us, just the one more time, and you won't have to fire us..."

Both minders left the room and headed towards the Kitchen. Dave looked at Mindy and she shrugged.

* * *

Mindy and I headed out of the room towards the stairs.

"Where you going?" I asked my sister as she passed by the door.

"Err, somewhere loud and smoky..." she replied. "And don't bother trying to pick-pocket my stash – I'm going to get drunk, instead."

I was worried about Thea, very worried.

"Thea... You think this is what Dad would want for you?"

"Dead people don't _want_ anything... It's one of the benefits of being dead."

"I was dead . . . and I wanted a lot."

"Except for your family . . . don't wait up..."

With that, Thea was gone.

..._...

Of late, Thea had been a total bitch to Mindy.

I had tried to get Thea to be nice to my partner, but it was like trying to bring together a pair of hissing cats. Mindy had taken a dislike to Thea too, and I was stuck in the middle.

At least I was, until the next morning...

* * *

 ** _Wednesday, June 8th, 2016_**

"Dave..."

Thea barged in to our bedroom – not her fault, the door _was_ partially open.

"Haven't you learned to knock!" I growled and then I smiled.

Thea did not look at me. Her attention was locked on the full-length mirror that stood on the far side of the room and I followed her gaze. In the reflection, I could see Mindy getting dressed and...

"Oh, my God – those scars..."

Mindy had spun around and she glared at Thea. Thea had flinched away at the fierce look. I raised a hand to Mindy halting her from exploding.

"I never knew..."

Thea walked over to Mindy in a daze. Mindy was wearing slacks and a black bra. Thea reached out but snapped her hand back as if she was about to touch fire.

"You can touch; I won't hurt you," Mindy said calmly and she smiled reassuringly.

..._...

Thea reached out with a trembling hand and she touched the bullet wound just to the left of and above Mindy's right breast. She walked behind Mindy and matched the wound on the chest with the corresponding exit wound. Then she did the same with the much larger wound slightly above and to the right of the bullet wound. The scar tissue of the bullet wound was superimposed on that of the larger wound, indicating that the bullet had struck later.

She took in the tattoos, a large star shape above Mindy's left breast and the four Chinese symbols arranged vertically on the left side of the stomach. Thea traced her fingers over the jagged scar that ran left to right, at an angle of 45-degrees downward, on the opposite side of Mindy's stomach.

"How . . . how _did_ you survive?" Thea exclaimed in a combination of astonishment and sadness.

She spun around and then yanked up _my_ shirt. I did not stop her. She stared for almost a full minute with her left hand clasped over her mouth, her eyes wide. I saw the tears fall as she dropped her hand.

"Oh, my God – I am so sorry, Mindy. I've treated you like crap . . . and . . . those scars..."

Mindy pulled my sister into a hug as Thea cried.

* * *

 ** _Wednesday, June 8th, 2016_**

 ** _The Docks_**

"Well, I owe you an apology, Mr Somers," Detective Lance summed up. "We come all the way down to your docks and it turns out you don't need the Police, after all."

"Which is exactly what I've been saying," Somers replied.

"So I guess that 9-1-1 call that we got from your stevedore, last night, saying that you were being attacked by a pair of hoods with bows and arrows?"

Detective Lance ostentatiously examined an obvious arrow hole in the surface of Somer's desk before he continued. "What was that, a practical joke?"

"These guys like to fool around."

"Yeah," Detective Lance chuckled to himself as he responded. "Well, you know, I'd be very inclined to believe an upstanding businessman like yourself – only . . . well, one of my men found this at your docks."

Detective Lance turned and retrieved an item from an Officer – he turned and held up an arrow.

"You see, there's these vigilantes running around. They think they're some kind of Robin Hood, robbing the rich, or teaching them a lesson – whatever the point, they are killers and nothing and no one will stop me from bringing them down. But like you said," Detective Lance inserted the arrow into the arrow hole – a perfect fit. "Apparently, nothing happened here, last night."

"Isn't this a conflict of interest, Detective. After all, your daughter _is_ suing me."

"I'm pretty good at keeping my emotions in check."

"I'm not – you and your daughter do not want to find out what I am like when I get emotional."

The two men glared at each other for almost a minute, before Detective Lance turned and walked away.


	5. Somers

**_Wednesday, June 8th, 2016_**

 ** _Lizewski Enterprises_**

"As you can see, Dave, we've modernised quite a bit," Walter Steele explained as the party left the elevator.

"Not bad!" Mindy muttered.

"I agree," I added.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Alice Lizewski asked.

"Yes, I am," I replied and I genuinely was enjoying myself; it had been quite a while since I had last been in that office.

"I remember when your Dad used to bring you into the office," Walter went on. "You were very young and you were always very excited."

"Dad let me drink soda in the office."

"So, that's why you enjoyed coming so much," Alice chuckled.

Then Walter began to talk 'business'. Talk about boring! Whatever Walter was talking about; it was so over my head; my mind began to wander.

* * *

 ** _July 6th, 2011_**

 ** _Northern South China Sea  
Lian Yu_**

We spent the first night in the shelter of the plane.

I lay on the floor, just aft of the cockpit so that I could stretch out. Mindy lay a few feet away. Neither of us had said very much to each other since our first meeting a few hours previously. To be honest, the atmosphere was a bit frosty. But I had no problem with that; I couldn't stand the girl!

I closed my eyes and very soon I dozed off.

* * *

 ** _The Present  
Wednesday, June 8th, 2016_**

 ** _Lizewski Enterprises_**

Dave seemed very disinterested in what Walter had to say as he prattled on about diversifications and other fancy shit.

I held Dave's hand tightly as I felt _really_ out of my element with so many strange people and in a very strange world. Don't get me wrong, I had spent many happy days with Daddy in _his_ place of work, but that had been a long time ago. Now I just felt uncomfortable in such stark surroundings.

I found myself drifting back to another set of uncomfortable surroundings.

* * *

 ** _July 6th, 2011_**

 ** _Northern South China Sea  
Lian Yu_**

I felt so alone.

At least when I was trudging through sand, or jungle, or whatever else there had been between the sea and the wrecked plane, my thoughts had been on moving forwards – something purposeful. Now that I was doing nothing physical, my annoyingly overactive imagination quickly took over. I saw flashes of my Daddy dying; the scene with him putting a bullet through his head would repeat in my mind in ever increasing detail and goriness. I kept seeing him pull the trigger. I kept seeing a chunk of his skull fly off into the sea. I kept hearing myself scream and scream. I kept waking up in a cold sweat and I'd start to panic in the darkness. Then I'd doze off again and find myself back in the raft. Around and around it went.

In the end, I gave up and I lay down beside Dave. He allowed me to move in closer and despite my feelings towards him, just having his warm body against my own made me feel _so_ much better and the dreams seemed to mellow – slightly.

* * *

 ** _The Present  
Wednesday, June 8th, 2016_**

 ** _Lizewski Enterprises_**

As I snapped back to the present, I found us back in the elevator and on our way down.

We excited at the first floor and headed towards the main doors. I began to shake at what awaited us. It was a horde of newsies and the sight scared me. I instinctively moved closer to Dave and enjoyed the warmth of his body and the instant reassurance that I felt at his presence.

The moment that we burst out the door, we were enveloped by the horde. Questions came thick and fast, many of which were unintelligible in the free-for-all. I felt hands on my waist – Sarah was there and she guided me through the throng towards the car. Dave got there first with Diggle and I was very relieved as Dave pulled me into the car and Diggle slammed the door before he pushed his way around and into the driver's seat.

"You know, I spent the first twenty-seven years of my life in Chicago and then the next five in Afghanistan," Diggle began. "You want to know what I learned?"

"There's no place like home?" Dave responded facetiously.

"No. Just the opposite," Diggle replied. "Home is a battlefield. Back home they're all trying to get you. Get you to open up . . . be somebody you're not sure you are anymore. Or I could be wrong. Maybe after five years alone, you two are not as messed up in the head as you both have every right to be."

He was disturbingly very close to the mark with that comment.

* * *

 ** _July 12th, 2011_**

 ** _Northern South China Sea  
Lian Yu_**

After six days, together on that island, our attitude towards each other had thawed to the extent where we had each stripped and washed as the other had pretended not to watch. Waking up that first morning to find a girl that I barely knew cuddled up to me fast asleep, was a little surreal. Back home, I would have enjoyed being in such a position. Any sexual thoughts were non-existent. I knew that I was in hell and as far as I knew, the girl was my only companion.

Strangely, after our impromptu wash, our minds had begun to operate better and we had both come to the same conclusion; that we needed to bury our dead parents. That was easier said than done, however, as we first needed to select a location and secondly, we would need to move the bodies – a task that neither of us relished.

Nonetheless, it was a necessity.

* * *

 ** _The Present  
Wednesday, June 8th, 2016_**

 ** _CNRI Office_**

"Well, we anticipate that Somer's attorney will attempt to paint you as 'blinded by grief' or 'looking to make a quick buck'," Joanna explained.

"It's _not_ about the money!" Emily Nocenti retorted angrily. "I just want _justice_ for my father."

"Emily," Erika replied supportively. "There are a lot of people who don't want this trial to proceed . . . dangerous people."

"My mother died when I was a baby and my father has been the only family that I have ever known, and . . . and they slit his throat! They are going to have to kill me if they want me to give this up."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that..." Erika said darkly.

"And it won't," another voice interrupted.

The three women turned to see Detective Lance striding through the office with three uniformed SCPD officers in tow.

..._...

"What's going on?" Erika demanded.

"What's going on, is that you three are getting round-the-clock Police protection, okay? Get used to their faces as they're going with you everywhere that you go . . . no arguments."

Erika glared up at her father.

"I'm a lawyer; I live to argue."

"I'm your father; I live to keep you safe."

Joanne sensed the tense atmosphere and she wisely decided to take Emily away.

"Emily, let's go get a coffee."

"Yes, why not do that," Detective Lance agreed and he waved two of the uniformed officers forwards. "Go with them."

..._...

"Protective custody? I seem to recall you trying that once I discovered boys and it didn't work then, either."

"This isn't a joke, Erika. Martin Somers got attacked last night."

"What?"

"Yeah."

"By whom?"

"Doesn't matter. Point is, you have whipped up a storm with these guys. Until the dust settles, you will be protected, okay? End of discussion."

"That might have worked when I was eight, but it's not going to work anymore."

"End of discussion, Erika! You're insistent on doing your job; that's great. But this is me doing mine, not just as a father but as a cop. These people are more dangerous than you are willing to admit and you're making them angry."

* * *

 ** _That afternoon_**

 ** _The Docks_**

The woman was tall and of Asian origin.

She had flowing white hair and she carried herself in an authoritative manner. She walked towards the man who was seated at a desk.

"Thank you for coming," he said without standing.

"Anything for a friend," the woman replied.

"We are not friends. You smuggle drugs . . . I let you use my port."

"For which, you are paid a lot of money, Mr Somers."

"I don't get paid enough to have arrows shot at me. You need to take these people seriously. They are a bigger threat to your operation than Nocenti ever was."

"Except now, it's Nocenti's daughter who is the problem. Unlike your hooded friends, we know where to find _her_."

"Don't be an idiot. You take out Emily Nocenti and Erika Lance will never let this go. She won't stop until she burns you, me, and the entire Triad to the ground."

"Then we kill Miss Lance."

* * *

 ** _That same time_**

 ** _Barrington Hills_**

 _'...The attorney for shipping magnate, Martin Somers, has confirmed that his client has no intention of testifying and is maintaining his innocence in the wrongful death of Victor Nocenti...'_

Dave glared at the television and he was about to punch the screen when Thea walked into the room.

"Hi..."

"Where's Mindy?"

"She was hungry so she went down to the kitchen. What's wrong?"

"I . . . I need to show you something out back."

..._...

"Sometimes, when I felt . . . whatever . . . I'd come here."

After a short walk through the grounds, they both stopped before a pair of tall granite gravestones. The right-hand one of which depicted:

 _James Lizewski_

 _1958 – 2011_

 _A leader, a husband  
a father, whose light  
was dimmed far too early_

"About a month after the funerals, Mom stopped going out. Pretty soon she stopped talking all together. The house got so quiet. So, I'd come here . . . to talk to you."

The other stone depicted:

 _Dave Lizewski_

 _1996-2011_

 _A loving son and  
brother, whose light  
was dimmed far too soon_

"Stupid stuff. What I was doing that day. What boy I had a crush on. And then sometimes, I would ask you . . . beg you, to find a way home. Now, here you are, and I felt closer to you when you were dead. Look, I know it was hell where you were – I saw the scars. But, it was hell here too. You gotta let me in, Dave. You gotta let someone in."

Seeing my own grave shocked me a bit. Hearing what Thea had said, hurt me. I knew it had to be difficult for them all not knowing. By the time I returned to the bedroom, Mindy was back with some food. She had brought some for me too. As we ate together, sitting on the floor, I explained where I had been and what Thea had said.

"Go see her," Mindy suggested.

"You sure?"

"Go!"

* * *

 ** _That Night_**

 ** _The apartment of Erika Lance_**

There was a knock on the door and the very tired lawyer did not look very happy at being disturbed – in fact she was also more than a little worried after what her father had said back at her place of work that same afternoon.

Cautiously, she approached the door and after a peek through the spyhole, she visibly relaxed once she saw who it was. She opened the door.

"You okay? There's two cop cars outside."

Erika ignored the question.

"How am I supposed to stay away from _you_ if you won't stay away from me?"

"I..."

"What are you doing here, Dave?"

"My sister pointed out to me that I have been distant, since I got back, and that it would probably be a good idea if I let somebody in."

"So, you thought you'd start with the first person you pushed away?"

"I did that to protect you. Then I saw you yesterday and I realised that I hurt you."

Erika waved him in.

"Thank you."

Erika made to close the door but a hand held it open.

"Hi, Erika!"

"Mindy. . ."

..._...

Dave wandered through into the living room and he absorbed his surroundings as he went. He chuckled.

"This place has not changed in five years."

"I haven't really had the time to redecorate," Erika replied in a sarcastic tone as she watched Mindy wander around looking at everything with intense curiosity.

"I'm a jerk. Before the island, I was a jerk. And now, I'm just a damaged jerk."

"What's in the bag?" Erika asked as she noticed the paper bag for the first time that Dave held in his left hand.

"I thought about many things on the island . . . but there was one thing that I thought about – even dreamt about – every day. I promised myself that if I ever got to do it again, I'd do it with you."

Erika felt a little worried at the insinuation – at least until Dave held up a large tub of ice-cream. Erika visibly relaxed.

"I'll get three spoons," she suggested and headed for the kitchen.

..._...

As they ate, the three of them talked.

"Why are you _both_ here?"

"It was Mindy's idea, in fact, and she pushed me to come."

"Oh."

"My mother wants me to join the company. She wants me to 'take my rightful place' in the company."

"I can't exactly picture you as 'Master of the Universe'."

Mindy giggled at that.

"No." Dave replied. "After five years, we have plans. We have things that we have to do and we can't do those if I am attending board meetings and stockholder's briefings."

"Dave, you're an adult, you _can_ say no."

"Oh, I tried."

Erika was very aware of how difficult it was to say 'no' to one's parents!

"Well, then, don't tell her. Show her. Be the person that you want her to see you as. Trust me; I have plenty of experience with disapproving parents."

Dave grimaced and Mindy scowled.

"I have been at the receiving end of your father's disapproval."

"He blames himself more than he blames you. He thinks that maybe if he and Sarah had been closer than she might have told him about the flight and then he could have stopped her from going."

"I am sorry."

"You apologised already."

"It'll never be enough. . ."

"Did you hear that?" Mindy interrupted suddenly.

..._...

"No," Erika replied, but Dave had noticed Mindy's expression.

"There's somebody on the fire escape," she advised Dave.

Dave jumped up and held out a hand for Erika.

"Come on!"

They both ran for the front door with Mindy a few feet behind. They were only feet away from potential safety when the door exploded into the hallway. Men seemed to appear from all sides with guns raised. Dave pulled Erika back towards the living room and Mindy dove for cover as bullets struck the walls all around them. They bolted into Erika's bedroom just as the window exploded and another man vaulted through onto the bed. Dave yanked Erika away from the man and attacked him, putting him out cold. Dave ran into the living room.

"Mindy, stay with Erika," Dave yelled as he went.

A tall woman with flowing white hair awaited him with her hands raised in a fighting stance.

* * *

The evening had gone better than I had anticipated – at least until the crap hit the fan!

I had suggested the ice cream – I thought that it might break the ice. Dave had mentioned that he and Erika had enjoyed eating it on many an occasion. Dave had not been so sure, but what did a boy know! Two cop cars were parked outside the apartment – we had noticed them on the way in – and they were obviously on watch. I figured that it had something to do with Somers. I had seen the news article too and it had enraged me to see the bastard so blatantly ignoring our 'advice'.

I looked out the destroyed bedroom window and saw the very same cop cars – I also noticed a dark stain on the side window of one; no help was forthcoming from there! But I did notice two familiar shapes running towards the house.

I just hoped that they were not too late.

* * *

 ** _The apartment of Erika Lance_**

I sensed a movement and I pushed Erika behind me just as there was a metallic sound from behind us.

As we turned, the gunman made to fire his submachine gun. But instead of automatic gunfire, there were the sharp reports of a pistol as two bullets passed straight through the gunman. He dropped to the floor and Diggle burst into the room from the window. Diggle thrust Erika and me to the floor behind the bed and ran towards the living room. I instantly sprang up and followed.

A white-haired woman was fighting Dave but she turned away and made to flank Diggle. Diggle struck out at the woman but before _she_ could strike, she received a kick from another form that had just entered the room via the hallway from front door.

The woman struck out at Sarah and she produced a small, but very lethal, knife. Diggle attacked the woman and they both fought. Dave and I looked for a hole so we could get Erika out of the apartment but the woman was watching for that. More men appeared from seemingly nowhere and engaged Sarah who, it seemed, was more than capable of looking after herself.

..._...

The woman who was fighting Diggle was very good and she managed to force Diggle down, but only for a moment as she was kicked back against the wall. She made to stab Diggle but Mindy threw a kitchen knife in her direction. The knife struck the bitch's hand and she dropped her own blade. She made a run for it, out the door, narrowly avoiding bullets fired from Sarah's pistol.

Diggle grabbed up his own pistol.

"Are you hurt?" he demanded.

"No."

"Are _you_ hurt?" Sarah demanded of Mindy.

"Course not."

"This is _exactly_ why you need a bodyguard, Mr Lizewski!" Sarah growled.

* * *

 ** _July 13th, 2011_**

 ** _Northern South China Sea  
Lian Yu_**

We had picked the place because of its view.

The headland stuck out into the sea a way and we knew that entombing the bodies there would hopefully keep the critters at bay. On two sides of us, was sea and a drop into the ocean. Of the other two sides, one was a wooded slope to a lower cliff and then trees that stopped about thirty feet from the cliff edge.

The effort involved in moving two adult bodies was huge. The effort was made even worse by our relationships with the bodies in question. Several times we both had to pause and rest – that rest often involved throwing up. During our rest periods, we began to gather rocks. Mostly smooth rocks initially, but eventually anything that we could find. In all, the operation took almost eight hours of toil.

Dave had just laid the last rock and I had turned to face the sea; I was still shy about crying and I had been unable to hold it in any longer. I heard Dave suddenly yell out . . . and he kept yelling. As I span around, I lost my footing and I fell backwards but not before I had caught a glimpse of Dave . . . I was horrified by what I saw – there was what could only be an _arrow_ which had pierced his chest, from the back to the front, and the pointy end was all bloody.

As I fell backwards, I could have sworn that I saw a hooded man who seemed to be holding a bow. The bow was moved slightly so it pointed in _my_ direction and that was barely a second bfore I felt a burning sensation in my right shoulder.

I passed out with the ever-increasing pain.


End file.
